Trust In Your Heart
by erisnx
Summary: Kurama has become Spirit Detective and feels his life is complete until he meets Relli Darau. They get off on the wrong foot because of some first impressions, but they soon discover that neither is what they seem to be.
1. Kurama

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Yu Yu Hakusho' or any of its characters **

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**CHAPTER ONE**

_For a couple of years now Kurama has been attending a university in his hometown of Tokyo. It has been six years since he has seen anyone from Team Urameshi, except of course for Botan and Koenma. After Yusuke quit his position of Spirit Detective Koenma suggested that Kurama would make an excellent detective (Especially considering the fact that Kurama wouldn't call him a toddler). Kurama accepted and took the position as the new Spirit Detective._

Kurama walked home from his class in his usual route home. He wasn't heavily tired because, unlike Koenma's jobs, college life was easy. He walked easily down the street with his books in one hand, hoping that the demons would take a break today.

All was peaceful until he heard his friend's delinquent voice rise over the other noises over the air.

"Kurama! Good to see you again! What innocent people have you been killing?" Yusuke Urameshi asked with a tease in his voice. One hand was wrapped around his wife, Keiko Yukimura and another around a soft bundle cradled in his torso.

Kumara was greatly surprised. "Why Yusuke, I didn't know that you were a father! Congratulations Yusuke! And you too Keiko!"

"Thank you Kumara." Keiko said with her eyes filled to show the wonderful life that she had.

The soft baby gurgled and opened its eyes. The little boy had his father's dark black hair and his mother's brown eyes.

Kurama smiled. "I've haven't been killing anybody but what about you, Spirit Detective?"

Yusuke smiled at his former profession name. Botan had managed to find Kurama as an exceptional guinea pig for the Spirit Detective opening and he was glad. The job took too much out of him and Keiko. He didn't need to be on the verge of danger anymore. He had a family to take care of and he was not about to put them in danger.

"Hey! Urameshi, Kurama what are you guys doing here?" Kazuma Kuwabara asked as he led his girlfriend, Yukina into the circle.

Kuwabara's and Yukina's eyes went wide once they saw the little bundle in Yusuke's arms. "Wow Urameshi I didn't realize you had a kid." He neared the child's face and laughed. "It's a good thing he took after Keiko in the looks department. Imagine how he would've looked with your face!"

Yusuke grabbed Kuwabara's shirt. "Oh yeah? Well how would you like it if I rammed your head into the pavement like the good old days?"

Kurama shook his head. A hundred years could pass and Yusuke and Kuwabara would still be rivals.

"Well, well, well it looks like the Urameshi team is reunited again isn't it?"

All six of them turned to the familiar voice. It belonged to Hiei, the three-eyed demon who had turned into a much kinder demon by his soul mate, Mukuro.

"Well hey short stuff! Looks like everybody decided to cruise this road today." Kuwabara commented. Hiei looked at him and chuckled. "Watch it Worthless."

Kuwabara grimaced. He really hated that nickname, although he knew it was just Hiei's curious form of endearment.

Mukuro gently wrapped her hand around Hiei's. "Don't mind him, he's just excited about seeing all of us reunited after five years."

For a minute Kurama felt lost. His polite smile was fixed on his lips but that wasn't the way the fox demon was feeling on the inside.

The truth was that the way everybody seemed to have a perfect soul mate was causing Kurama to feel lonely. Yusuke, Kuwabara, even Hiei had all found their perfect match. They all had somebody to love them with their life. Kurama didn't. Maybe it was his fault, maybe it wasn't but the incredible loneliness that he felt couldn't be ignored in such a loving crowd.

"Well this is an interesting surprise. I didn't expect to find every one of us here." Kurama said lightly, trying to bury his lonely feeling.

"Hell yes this is! Now I can show off my perfect family!" Yusuke said, excitedly.

The statement made Kumara feel worse but he kept his face polite, with just a hint of amusement, just like always.

Kurama walked home to his apartment later that night with his head and stomach full. The four men had revivied some of their dangers including the time when they had to fight the four Saint Beasts. It had been a trip to the past when the remembered the endless times in which they almost died.

Of course, they were all healthy and strong now, even though they didn't use their powers much. Yusuke could still shoot his Spirit Gun as strong as ever but he had to use much energy to pull it off. The same was true for Kuwabara's Spirit Sword. Kuwabara could still form the sword and attack somebody with it but the strain was exuberating. Hiei rarely used his Jagan Eye anymore. Yukina was in the best hands with Kuwabara and as grungy as Hiei was, he knew his sister was safe with him.

Kurama had even more power than he had originally had. His Rose Whip had intensified with the new energy and now he could bring out five or six Rose Whips at the exact same time. There were some good sides to the whole Spirit Detective, but, according to Yusuke, there were some good things you had to give up in order to do a better good.

Kurama tried to clear his head. This was the first time he had ever doubted the generous profession he was leading. Being a Spirit Detective was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He helped many people in the Demon, Spirit, and Human World. There was no turning back for Kurama. There was nobody he could give up this profession for.

"Alright girl we'll go easy on you if you give us all the cash you got."

The rough, dry, hostile voice was the kind of voice that Kurama silenced forever in his profession.

It wasn't hard, with his extraordinary hearing, to pinpoint the direction of the molester's voice so Kurama stealthily walked near.

There were four men surrounding a girl. She was badly beaten and bruised. Obviously the men had already beaten her.

One of the men walked closer to his victim and grabbed her roughly by her hair. She started to scream but he covered her mouth with his hand. Then another man quickly held the girl back while the two others started to rip her clothing. The tears were falling down her cheeks as she struggled to let herself loose.

The anger Kurama felt towards those men was nothing like he had ever felt before. The force of their desire against the poor girl was sickening. How dare they touch her with that roughness?

"I suggest you let her go." Kurama said, struggling to keep his voice leveled and polite, the same as it was always.

The four men turned to face him. One of the men smiled and threw the girl against the brick wall. She fell against the wall and dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Kurama had to work hard to control his anger. "Please leave now or I shall be forced to use more extensive methods to make you."

The obvious leader of the gang stepped forward. "Oh yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it pretty boy?"

Kurama grimaced. Then he swiftly waved his red hair at the criminals and took four seeds out of his hair. He threw them at such speed at the criminals that they didn't even blink in time. Vines sprouted from the seeds and wrapped themselves around the criminals.

"What-what the hell is this mess?" the leader asked, with his voice full of fear.

Kurama closed his eyes. "Your tomb." He said as he closed his hands and the four delinquents screamed and finally tumbled to the floor. Kurama hadn't really killed them but the desire to do so was almost irresistible.

He took no regard for the unconscious human beings and sped towards the girl. She was bleeding on her arms and legs. Her body was bruised and she had a sharp wound in her abdomen. Kurama ran his fingers over the wound and his eyes widened.

It was a gunshot wound.

"Kurama!" Botan's voice came out ringing through the night. She had just finished sensing Kurama's burst of energy through her compass.

"Botan we have to get this girl quickly to the hospital!" he exclaimed as he started to pick her up.

Botan peered closer at the girl and gasped. It was the same girl that had figured out the secret of the Spirit World seven years ago. She pulled out her phone and called Koenma as quickly as she could.

"Koenma sir we have a problem. Relli Darau is practically lying in her death bed right now." There was a slight pause. "Yes she's still alive but-" "Save her at any cost!" Koenma said, with his voice loud enough for Kurama to hear it.

Kurama was confused. Since when did Botan know this girl, Relli? Botan shut the phone.

"It's no use Kurama. We have to save her right now or she's dead. There's no time to get her near a hospital."

Kurama gently settled her on the floor and tried to save Relli Darau.


	2. Relli and Kurama

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Yu Yu Hakusho' or any of its characters (Wish I did.)**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

_Okay this is the second chapter of my story 'Trust In Your Heart' it will get much better I promise!_

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Okay, who is she?"

Kurama was asking the question that had been torturing his mind for a few weeks now. Botan simply refused to tell him and that was going against his chivalrous nature.

Botan bit her lip. She had taken Relli Darau away as soon as she could but the seed of doubt was already in Kurama's mind and nothing would make him forget the worried words of Botan as she talked to Koenma that night.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you Kurama it's just that Koenma and Relli both strictly prohibited me from ever telling anybody about the history between Relli's past. You simply cannot know this."

Kurama struggled to regain his composure. Relli had been taken by Botan the morning after she was somewhat better and he couldn't stop her. All he wanted to know was why Koenma had such a keen interest in her.

And yes, Kurama also wanted to know more about the lovely lavender haired, blue-eyed woman.

Botan shook her head. "Look I'll come back tomorrow. In the meantime just forget about Relli okay?"

************************************************************************

Kurama walked home, after an unusually hard day at the university. He simply could not concentrate on the work and the teachers hadn't appreciated that.

He sighed and pondered all the way going to his home.

Kurama opened the door with his key and dropped his books on his kitchen table. There was somebody behind him. Kurama whirled around.

Botan was with the mysterious Relli. One's face was bubbly with obvious excitement and the other was…full of nothing. There was no emotion in Relli's pretty face.

Relli glanced up at the handsome redhead. He was tall, handsome, and had a pleasant aura around him. She kept her face even when he stared back at her with his dark green eyes that seemed to stare down into her heart. Relli instantly wanted to thank him for saving her life but she didn't dare. Relli knew better than anybody that if you gave somebody trust they would rip you to shreds.

"So…what's this lovely surprise?" the man asked.

If Relli still cared about life she would've blushed at his comment. Now that she could hear him she knew that his voice was light, just slightly husky. It was perfect.

Now that Kurama had a much patient look at her he could see that her hair caressed her face with tenderness. The dark blue of her eyes had no shine, no emotion whatsoever. Her hands were crossed over her chest and Kurama couldn't help but notice the way the girl's dress hugged her waist and legs.

If Kurama wasn't such a gentlemen, he would've undressed her right then.

"Suichi, this is Relli Darau, your new Spirit Detective Assistant. Relli, this is Suichi Minamino, the Spirit Detective."

Kurama's eyes went wide. Botan had given power to this girl. She was still human and for some unexplainable reason she knew about the Spirit & Demon World. This could not be allowed and he couldn't believe that Botan had gone behind Koenma's back to make this girl live.

"Botan this is inexcusable! How could you bring this woman-"

"This woman has a name." she said in an angry voice. Relli was pissed. Men always thought they were better than women. She wasn't about to let him walk over the way many others had done.

Kurama regained his composure with much effort. "I'm sorry Relli, but as Botan might have told you, I am sometimes controlled by my Youko demon."

Relli blinked and an uncertain expression crossed her face. What demon was he talking about? Wasn't he already a demon?

"Oh Suichi you'll have to fill in Relli on the details of your life and her new job as your assistant. I thought I'd leave that up to you. Have fun!" Botan scurried out, intentionally avoiding Kurama's questions. She wasn't about to face his Youko demon. Kurama was scary when he transformed into his true demon form.

Then they were alone.

Kurama extended his hand. "I hope you forgive me for my rude comment."

She glanced at his hand with distrust evident in her features. Men this handsome weren't supposed to be polite. But he seemed different. Relli placed her hand gently in his. His hand was warm and soft. If Relli wasn't so distrustful she would've been at complete ease with him. There was something about his touch that sent a wave of heat throughout her body.

The second her fingers touched his Kurama felt a strange sensation. It felt uneasy and right at the exact same time.

Relli snapped her fingers away from the handshake and quickly looked away from him.

"So what do I gotta know?" Relli asked, in a nonchalant tone.

"Well for starters you are fully aware of the Spirit, Human, and Demon Worlds correct?" She nodded so he continued. "Well then you know that there are dangerous criminals in these three areas, primarily demons that need to be stopped. I'm the one who stops them. I'm a Spirit Detective and I'm guessing that you're going to help me out with those demons."

Relli looked at the pictures on the wall. "I guess that seems good but I've only had this weird Spirit Energy for a week now so don't expect me to save your life or anything sir."

Kurama grimaced at the formal title. It made him sound older than he truly was and he was only twenty-five years old. "Please, call me Suichi."

She looked at him with a frown. "I can't. I'd be saying a lie if I called you Suichi."

Kurama was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Suichi can't be your real name and I'm pretty sure that it isn't your Youko demon either." Relli deduced.

Kurama closed his eyes in amusement. She was quick. "You're right," he admitted slowly. "My name is actually Kurama Minamino."

For some reason, Relli's heart quickened at the tone of his true name, Kurama Minamino. That name suited him much better than either Suichi or Youko.

Kurama opened his eyes to see her face. "But I'm guessing that Relli is just a nickname. Am I right?" Relli's face closed up as she remembered her mother calling her Relli. The memories were too painful to dig up. She could not forget the terrible way in which her mother had been slaughtered.

Relli didn't want to tell this complete stranger her true name. It was private and she doubted that he could truly appreciate the pure meaning of her name. Still, she felt as if she had known Kurama all her life and that was not a good thing. It was bad to give so much to a person and then have them throw it back in your face. She had grown used to this time and time again. There was absolutely nobody in this world that cared for her. The criminals that night Kurama had saved her were actually doing her a favor. They were ending her misery and torture. But she didn't want to let Kurama know that. He would know her name, but no more than that.

"My name, my whole name is Realeza Darau." Relli said, with a slight wince. Barely anybody knew her name, not even Botan and she had known Botan for a good six years now.

Kurama looked at her with tenderness. Realeza Darau was Relli's whole name.

"Realeza is Spanish for a royal family," Kurama remembered, dragging some of the Spanish language into his head. "So that must have meant that you were named Realeza probably because your mother and father thought you were a princess."

Relli's breath caught. He knew Spanish. He knew what Realeza meant, but most of all, he knew instantly what her mother had been thinking of when she named Relli.

"Ten points for the redhead." she murmured as she went around the room, looking at the amazing photography.

Kurama gave an amused chuckle. "Your parents must be proud of you."

"They died." Relli said in a harsh voice. She blinked and struggled to compose herself. It was so easy to let herself be free with Kurama even though she barely knew him. It was uncanny.

"I'm sorry." Kurama said with sympathy hard in his voice. His father had died as well and it had been hard on his mother as well as on him.

For a minute Relli just stared at the wall, unwilling to believe that a person so polite and gentleman-like would make fun of her this way. He was faking to by sympathetic when he hadn't even known Relli's parents. He was a jerk!

"I don't need any of your fake sympathy." she shot back at him angrily.

Kurama's reassuring, killer smile disappeared and he felt Youko's spirit rise to the surface. "My own father died so I know what it feels like so don't think that you're special."

"Well you can't be two things at once can you? Are you a demon or a human Suichi?" Relli asked sharply.

She hadn't called him Kurama because it sounded much too sensual for her to say and the name intimidated her. Suichi was a safe bet even though she was lying every time she said his name.

Kurama looked at the cold-hearted woman with certain arrogance. "I'm a demon who is in the body of a human, so I guess that makes me more human than you."

For a minute Relli couldn't speak. She was too stubborn to ask for forgiveness and she was too proud to turn to look him in the eyes.

She gripped the sofa tightly and stared at the ground. Then she said "Tell Botan that the deals off. I'm not staying here with you."

Relli walked angrily to the door and Kurama instantly took after her. "You're not going anywhere!"

By this time Kurama was completely taken over by Youko's evil personality. Kurama couldn't resurface and he tried to take over his mind and body again but the attempt was in vain while Youko was angry.

The Youko demon grabbed Relli roughly by her arm and swung her to him. Relli was caught surprise and was instantly pressed against Kurama's torso.

They both looked into each other's eyes, completely surprised and taken off-guard.

Youko disappeared from Kurama's mind and Kurama once again took over his body.

Kurama was holding Relli by her waist and he could feel the heat of her body against his arm and chest. He could see the way her eyelashes brushed her smooth skin with each blink. He could see the mask of nothing fall down and reveal her true self. She was completely afraid but that feeling made no sense at all. It wasn't like she wouldn't defend herself if Kurama tried to hurt her. So then…what was the reason? Why did Relli have that look of undying fear in her eyes when she was obviously so well suited for beating the crap out of any man who touched her? Why? And why was Kurama's heart suddenly beating faster? Kurama hadn't noticed his heart until her could feel his face flushed. He was blushing because he was holding a pretty girl against his chest. For Christ's sake he had done much more to other women. But this was different. He felt something completely unreal, like feeling a bit of light shine his lonely path…

Relli was pressed tightly to Kurama and she sensed something different about him when he looked back at her. His eyes were darker and he seemed more like Kurama. The eyes were unlike those of the being who had insulted her. Relli was so close to him that she noticed the way his lips looked smooth and seemed to dare her. Realeza was feeling something strange. It felt like strange light was guiding her, telling her that this man was different, that this man was going to respect her no matter what. This feeling was very different from the feeling other men had generated in her while holding her this way. It had not been the first time Relli had been forced into a man's arms and then tortured physically and emotionally. She led a horrible life and she couldn't bear the thought of letting her guard down, not even for a minute, to let Kurama truly see her for what she truly was. Even if he was the only gentleman she had ever met.

Kurama dropped his arm around Relli and released her, feeling his face resume its normal coloring.

"Pardon me." He said in a strained voice. He felt greatly ashamed for almost letting his Youko demon hurt the young girl.

She rubbed her arms, still feeling Kurama's warmth. "It's okay. I'm the one to blame anyway. I-I'm sorry." She said in an equally strained voice. She didn't like to admit she was wrong but he had already apologized.

"I guess we got off on the wrong food didn't we?" Kuram said, ruffling his red hair.

She shrugged. "I guess we'll warm up to each other eventually. For now…" she sighed and looked at him. "We'll just have to hate each other." Relli continued with a slight smile. Kurama chuckled. Relli was one of a kind.

"Now where is my room?" Relli asked, looking at the stairs.

Kurama went pale. "You mean you were serious on staying here?" Realeza stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Of course I was serious."

Kurama swallowed hard. "Well I was expecting some visitors and-"

Kurama was cut off by the door slamming open and Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei coming in.

"Hey Kurma we brought those nudie flicks we promised and whoa…" Kuwabara paused in mid-sentence to gape at Relli while she bit her lip. Yusuke was behind him and didn't notice Relli was he kept going. "They're just plain porn so you don't have to…whoa!"

All this time Hiei was struggling to keep himself from breaking out into loud laughter.

For a couple of minutes there was complete silence and Relli didn't know where to look. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were blushing and Relli was staring the floor not knowing what to think about this. The simple idea of Kurama watching porn was a riot. He didn't look the type.

Relli did the only thing she could do.

"Well Suichi, I'll leave you with your buddies. I've got to go see Botan anyway but I'll come back at sunset okay?"

She turned to the rest of the Urameshi gang and chuckled. "Instead of letting a gentleman like Suichi watch porn why don't you go out and do it yourselves? Just a thought." she said shrugging her shoulders.

The four men stared after her as she went out the door.

"God I have never been so embarrassed in my crappy life." Yusuke moaned as he plopped on the sofa.

"Neither have I." Kurama agreed with a slight red still evident on his face.

"I think she likes you Kurama." Hiei said teasingly.

Kurama turned away from his friends "So do I." he told them with a smile on his face.

Realeza Darau was the person Kurama had dreamed of meeting all his life.


	3. The Mission

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Yu Yu Hakusho' or any of its characters *Sighing***

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**Thanks for the reviews on my story! Please keep on reviewing!**

_Oh and by the way there might be a small change in the rating for this. Right now its rated T but it might go to M if I add another scene. If you're wondering if it's gonna be a lemon, I doubt it will, but if it is it won't be all that graphic. I might not even add a sexual scene but I'll see. Feel free to comment about if I should add a scene to make this story M rated._

**CHAPTER THREE**

Botan was in front of the handsome Spirit detective and his exceptionally cold assistant. She hated to drop the bomb on them so early into the freaking morning but it couldn't be helped.

"Listen up you two, there's been a prison break in the Demon World and the demons have come here into the Human World. I need for you two to find them and bring them down so that I can take them back to Demon World." Botan said.

Kurama nodded. "Who are they?"

Botan bit her lip. This had been the main reason Keonma said Kurama was a better Spirit Detective than Yusuke. Yusuke complained and grudgingly went along without even bothering to know how strong his opponents were. Kurama took the time to develop a strategy, but she doubted that even Kurama would be very glad once he found out who his felons were.

Nevertheless she told him.

"What?" Kurama's voice would almost be called a yell except that such a voice wasn't made for yelling at Grim Reapers who were girls.

"I may be wrong of course but the Sulivian brothers seem tough. Don't tell me that they're one of the most looked for demons in the entire Demon World!" Relli complained. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest. She was only faking the naiveness of not knowing who those brothers were. In fact, she knew them very well. Those brothers had were the men Tekkan sent after Relli and they had taken her to Spirit World. Luckily Botan and Genkai had saved her but she had to run away afterward. It was bad luck that it had occurred to her to open her mouth. It had gone very badly for her. Relli's gaze dropped to the floor as the remembered those empty and dark nights at the asylum that still caused her to have nightmares.

"The Sulivian brothers are, in fact, one of the most looked for demons at this moment and they're even stronger than the last time you saw them." Botan said to Relli, ignoring for a moment that Kurama didn't know a thing about Relli's past.

It was too late for her to realize her mistake. Relli was glaring at her with a look that would make the Terminator scream in fear. Botan thought even Hiei would cringe at that look.

Kurama noticed. He glanced at both of them and said "This is getting tiresome Relli, would you please tell me who you found out about us demons?"

Relli tensed and looked away from both of them. "That's none of you business Suichi." she said in a low voice. The last thing she wanted from Kurama was hate and she was going to get hate if she told him about her past. She started to feel friendship towards Kurama now that she had been living with him close to a month now. He was a different man from his buddies. Kurama was more sincere and he had morals that couldn't be held by even Kuwabara. And there was also the fact that the red hair and green eyes looked very good on him.

Kurama sighed and once more turned to Botan. "Do they have to be alive?" Botan shivered at the mere thought of the killing attempt and shrugged. "It would be best if they returned alive but-if you want you can take them down, but only if they have the killing intention."

"They always have the killing intention." Relli muttered, turning her face away. It was either the killing intention or the rape attempt…

Kurama tried desperately to stop the train of thought that was overpowering him. How would a human know so much about the Spirit and Demon World?

"Where are they in hiding?" Kurama asked, looking at Botan. She grimaced. "All I know is that they're hiding somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo, in the forest I believe. That's my best guess."

"Why would they escape?" Relli asked her. "I mean, Genkai and you put them both in jail, so why would they want to come back out and risk death?"

Botan bit her lower lip as she remembered what Koenma had told her…

"_Those boys are never going to give up. Once they get something in their thick heads it's absurd to even think about getting it out. My best guess is that they escaped so that they can finish what they started."_

"_Finish what they started? But…what would they want to finish?"_

_Koenma looked up at his beloved assistant. "Relli."_

Botan simply couldn't make Relli afraid like this. She couldn't tell Relli that they were coming after her, knowing perfectly that she would make an excellent candidate for the prostitution ring they still had. The mere idea of what would happen to Relli if she was caught sickened Botan. Those brothers came to finish the job their they had pending. They would lead Relli Darau back to the Demon World so that their boss, Tekkan could hand her to the customers. The Sulivian brothers would bring her at any cost, even at the cost of their lives.

"They must want freedom although I agree with you Relli, it is quite foolish to escape to a place where there is a Spirit Detective." she said, being careful to keep the nonchalance in her tone.

************************************************************************

_Two days later…_

"Shh, did you hear that?" Kurama asked, Relli as they both stopped walking. Above them birds were chanting and the forest leaves were rustling with the wind. There was no other sound.

"I didn't hear anything." Relli told him and started to take a step forward.

A knife came flying towards Relli and Kurama pulled her back roughly as she knife engraved itself on a tree. They stood back to back as one brother faced Kurama and the other faced Relli.

"Relli dear it's been a while, hasn't it?" the demon facing Relli, Oriyuki, said, smiling. From the outside he looked human but he was less of a human than a snake was.

"Stop chatting and let's get her already. She's the whole damn reason we came back anyway." the other, Miruyuki, grumbled. He faced Kurama and growled. "It's just luck that I had to face Youko Kurama on this mission. Damn!"

Kurama calmly grabbed Relli's hand. "I would love to see you try and take her from me." he said in his curiously polite voice. In spite of the danger Relli's heart seemed to take those words as having a double meaning.

Oriyuki shrugged. "Suit yourself." he said, grabbing his sword and attacked Kurama with it.

Kurama swung Relli out of the way, almost getting cut himself, and tried to defend her as best as he could. Miruyuki reached for Relli and she gathered as much Spirit Energy as she could in her hand. This was the first time she had ever been in battle and she was going to test her ability to kill.

She gathered her energy into a purple orb and threw it at Miruyuki. He easily dodged it. "Is that the best you got?" he asked, wondrously. Relli shrugged and smiled. She watched as her Spirit Bomb returned and exploded right into Miruyuki's back.

Kurama slit Oriyuki's throat with his Rose Whip and turned in time to see Miruyuki fall to the ground.

Kurama stood over Miruyuki as he struggled to stand up. "Tell me now, who sent you?" he asked, seriously, grabbing Miruyuki by his shirt.

Miruyuki glared at Kurama with hatred and smiled in a sickening way. "Relli call off your boyfriend Kurama, or I swear I'll get the boss to show him the videos."

Relli began to shake and she grabbed a nearby tree for support. The videos… They were yet, another cause for her terrible nightmares. To remember that the Sulivian brothers had touched her, undressed her in front of a camera was repulsive. It made her want to throw up and cry and never see herself again. The shame she felt was overpowering.

Kurama grabbed Miruyuki with a stronger death grip. "What videos is he talking about Relli?"

Relli's voice was quiet as she answered him. "Kill him Kurama."

Miruyuki's voice was louder and angrier. "You stupid whore! Why'd you think we filmed you that night with us! As much as you hate it you can't change what you are! So let me go and you won't have to live with another shame on your shoulders!"

Kurama's face tightened. It didn't take a genius to figure out what those videos were. "If I kill you right now how will you tell your boss to show me those videos?"

Miruyuki grinned and pulled his hand out of his pocket. A panel was in front of him with a large red button and several green ones. "All I have to do is push a little green button and the boss will get the signal all the way in the Demon World. He'll just have to make some arrangements so that your videos are distributed everywhere, including to your curious boyfriend here. Would you want that Relli?"

Miruyuki enjoyed watching the pretty girl's anxious face, thick with fear. Creating those vids had been the best idea Oriyuki had come up with. No-it had been the only best thing he had come up with.

Just to torture her, he threw out another line that would assure him his life for good. "Relli does Kurama here know about…us?"

The color drained from Relli's face as she looked at Kurama's angry face. "You damn bastard! You stupid crappy son of a bitch! Go straight to hell!" she screamed at him and dropped to the floor, sobbing.

Kurama was furious. Whatever Relli wanted to hide form him, it had to do with this man and killing him would let Kurama know about his history but Relli's history wasn't pure and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

For a strange unexplainable reason it hurt him badly to know that Relli had been a…prostitute who had worked in the Demon World. It was awful to know this about her but he just kept his hostile expression against Miruyuki. She wouldn't know how much it hurt him.

The pieces of the puzzle started to fall in place. No wonder she knew so much about the supernatural. She had worked there and in turn found out about all the criminals and gangsters of that place. No wonder she knew Botan and Koenma so well. It all made sense that it was idiotic the way Relli had managed to fool him.

"Please let him go Kurama." Relli pleaded, with tears running down her face.

As angry as he was, and as hurt as he was that Relli hadn't trusted him he didn't let go of Miruyuki immediately.

"Please Kurama! Do it for yourself so you won't have this bastard's blood on your hands!" she pleaded. She wanted to stay clean in his eyes although by this time he must be thinking the worst of her.

"You heard the girl. Now let me go now…or do you have an interest in the videos I want to show you?"

Kurama threw Miruyuki on the ground and tried to contain his composure. "Leave before I change my mind. I'm sure you value your life but I wouldn't hesitate in killing you." Kurama threatened seriously. There was no laughter in his voice and Miruyuki sensed that.

_I better get my ass out of here before that Youko demon changes his mind_ he thought and scurried away.

Relli and Kurama both saw Miruyuki race into the forest and none of them spoke.

"Let's go." Kurama said roughly, as he jerked Relli behind him, grabbing her wrist tightly. She didn't complain. She was the only one to blame after all.

************************************************************************

Nothing could've made her feel worse than Kurama's glare at that moment.

She shuffled uncomfortably in her seat and she finally couldn't stand the silence any longer. "I'm sorry for what I did Kurama but you just can't-"

"Why can't I find out about your past? Not that I can't guess but it's a little disconcerting when your enemy knows more about your allies than you do."

Relli winced and for a moment Kurama felt ashamed of himself. Realeza already felt bad but she had purposefully chosen to save her own skin instead of taking a stand. She was too afraid of what Miruyuki had to say than to face him.

"I feel too ashamed of what happened to me." She said in a small voice.

Kurama opened his mouth to speak but stopped, thinking of the phrase she had just said.

_I feel too ashamed of what happened to me…_

Kurama frowned as he thought of those words. Relli had said she felt ashamed of what had happened to her-not what she had done. If she truly had been a hooker on the Demon World streets then she would've said that she felt ashamed for what she did. But she didn't.

A huge weight was lifted off Kurama as he realized that she hadn't been a prostitute. It had all been a strange turn of his ridiculous imagination.

He tried not to let his stupidity show.

"If you told me what happened to you then maybe I could help." Kurama said softly, speaking politely as always, but trying desperately not to sound too curious.

Relli looked up at him with her lips trembling slightly Kurama seemed so trusting. He seemed completely interested in her past. She almost wanted to tell him. Almost…but what would he think of her? Would he think of her as the victim of countless disasters or as the cause of her own pain? In a way she had caused her own suffering but she hadn't wanted it to go this way. She never would have opened her mouth if she had known that the demons were going to come after her.

Relli looked up at Kurama's face and swallowed hard. She wanted so badly to tell him, to know his reaction but she was too much a wimp to say the truth to his face.

Kurama bent to eye level with Relli and held her hands. "Just trust me for once Relli! You know how I am. I would never insult somebody for something that they couldn't help."

"I know." Relli whispered. Her heart seemed to warm up and she felt more willing to tell him the truth than to anybody. But would he understand? Would he understand what happened to her when she went to live with her uncles? Would he understand about the Spirit World rape attempt? But most of all, would he understand about her getting locked in an asylum because of her own mouth?

There were so many questions in her mind that she only looked down at Kurama's hands to clear her head. She felt his warm, strong, rough hands hold her small ones in a slight grip. He was the kindest person she had ever met and she trusted him but there was a war going on in her body and for now, the secret of her past had to be kept just that, a secret.

"I wish I could tell you Suichi. I wish that I had the bravery to tell you about the stupid things that I did but I can't. I just can't. Not now anyway," she looked up at him with an expression of pure hope. "But I promise that one day I'll tell you everything but…give me time okay? I've never trusted anybody enough to tell them anything about my past and I guess I need a little mental preparation." she finished shamefully.

At least she had promised to tell him, that was the good thing.

Kurama sighed. "I can wait."

Relli stood up at the same time that Kurama stood up. She hesitated, wondering if he would take what she was about to do the wrong way. She finally decided she didn't care and pressed herself to Kurama.

"Thank you." she whispered and half-ran back to her room.

Kurama was warm where Relli had pressed herself to him. Apart from the time Youko had taken over, this was the first time he had felt this strange. When Youko had pressed Relli to him he had felt strange but now he felt even stranger. He felt like he had been struck by lightening and he was still in shock _**(This pun was so not intentional but that was how it came out.)**_ The feelings that Relli managed to stir in him were unbelievable. He had never felt so warm. He had never felt so trusted. And he had absolutely never felt this feeling of live fire in his heart. Kurama had been with plenty of women but none of them had made him feel like a hero, like a true savior, like a loved person.

Kurama wasn't an idiot. He knew exactly what was happening.

Kurama was falling in love with Relli.

_So how did it turn out? Good? Bad? Too much romance? Not enough action? Reviews will be appreciated!_


	4. A Child

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Yu Yu Hakusho' or any of its characters. **

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Relli lay awake in her room as the clock ticked towards midnight. It had been hours and she still couldn't sleep. Finally she gave up and pushed her loose strands of lavender hair out of the way and stared out of her window. This was her method of thinking.

_Why do I feel this way? _she asked herself. _Why do I get this strange feeling every time I think about Kurama?_

She got up out of bed and stared at the sky. The sky was overcast and there was nothing but a black fog in the clouds. Relli sighed.

She shivered as she thought of Kurama's strong body as he wrapped her around this afternoon. The sole memory of it made her shake with a fire that burned in her heart.

_Why are you thinking about him Relli? Why do you keep thinking of his arms around you?_ she wondered. She closed her eyes and she remembered the closeness of his face that first time his Youko demon had grabbed her. She remembered how his lips had been just inches away from hers.

She groaned and shook her head. _Damn it! _She growled as she remembered why she kept thinking about him. It was useless to try and hide it. His voice, his face, his freaking personality were all contributing to this aching feeling that she felt inside her heart. She was head over heels in love with Kurama and she didn't want to be.

She had tried to hide it. She had tried to numb it, but sometimes it overtook her, like now. It was especially hard to hide her deep affection for him when he was right in front of her but somehow she managed. She didn't want to be in love with him. He was too pure, too polite, and too dangerous for her, a human, to be attracted to a demon but she couldn't help what she felt.

She shook her head and tried to clear her mind. _Better get some sleep or Botan is going to start worrying about me. She already gets on my case enough._ She thought and laid back down on her bed.

The next morning Botan took them to Spirit World crash summary of how to handle their next mission and then returned them back to the Human World.

At home, Kurama was preparing the meal since Relli couldn't cook to save her life and Relli was preparing the ingredients. She tossed him everything he needed and started to stir the frying pan when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get the door." Relli said and went to open the door. She found herself face to face with a gray-haired, brown-eyed woman who looked maybe twice her age who was carrying a small bundle in her arms.

The woman blinked. "Oh-I'm sorry…I must have the wrong house…" She started to mumble incoherent words under her breath. "He must have moved but why wouldn't he tell me? I'm his mother!"

Relli suddenly realized that this must be Kurama's mother. "Oh if you're looking for Suichi then he's inside."

She woman stared at her. "He is?" Relli nodded.

"Mother! Why this is a surprise!" Kurama said, as he wiped his hands on a towel and came to the door.

"Suichi dear who is this young girl? Is she your girlfriend?"

For the first time in all of the time Kurama had known her she blushed. The color was warm and inviting on her skin. Kurama couldn't help but notice and for a minute his mother's questions hung in the air.

Both his mother and Relli turned to look at him when he wouldn't answer. He blinked until he could remember his mother's question.

"No mother she's just a friend living here." Kurama answered as he led his mom inside.

"What a shame. She looks like such a nice girl." she mused.

Relli tried not to show her emotions and failed. She smiled a slight smile and quickly covered it up. It was too late, Kurama and his mother had already noticed.

She extended her hand to the older woman. "My name is Relli Darau, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Shiori Minamino and it's a pleasure to meet you too Realeza." she answered.

Relli blinked and glared at Kurama. "You told me that-"

"Oh dear it's fairly easy to guess if you know a bit about culture. Don't blame Suichi, he didn't tell me a word." Shiori insisted.

Relli calmed down and surveyed the woman carefully. She was sharp and witty for a woman her age. This was the only bit of past that Relli knew about Kurama. He had told her about his Youko demon and that had been it for the most part. She knew his father had died some time ago and that he had to steal a precious artifact from the Demon World to cure his mother but as far as things went, that was all.

He had told her straight out that if she wanted to know all about his past all she had to do as was but she didn't feel right doing so. It was his business and his only.

Shiori cocked her head to look at Relli better.

_She has a kind spirit. _Shiori realized with a start. Although her exterior seemed rough and withdrawn inside she was just a simple woman who had too much distrust in her heart.

_Poor girl. She must have had a lot of men hurt her in her life if she doesn't trust my Suichi, _Shiori mused.

"Well mother I won't let you come in here without giving you good food or rest so what do you want mother?"

His mother laughed softly and signaled the bundle in her arms. "I'm not the only one in need of a little attention Suichi." she said.

It was only then that Kurama noticed that his human mother was carrying a child in her arms.

His face crumpled in surprise and shock. "Mother-I…what-why…?"

"Oh dear it's sort of difficult to explain." she started, switching the baby to her other side. The baby was heavy for a newborn.

All this time Realeza was looking at the newborn child without stop. It was a girl with pale skin and lavender hair, very much like hers. She was asleep so she couldn't tell what color her eyes were but Relli guessed they were green…like Kurama's.

"I can take the girl if she's too heavy for you." Relli suggested, but it came out more as a plea. She wanted to hold that baby in her arms as if it were hers.

Shiori glanced at Relli and instantly realized this and handed the baby girl over to her instantly.

Relli held the sleeping girl close to her and pressed her cheek to the baby's soft truffle of hair. In that split second Relli realized two things.

One, that she never had anybody to care for her like her mother did and that she was completely alone in this world. She didn't have anybody to protect and there was no reason for her existence. The only thing that was keeping her alive was her Spirit Energy and Koenma's insistence on the secret that she kept. That was the first reason.

The second was that she wanted somebody to depend on her. This child was another ray of sunshine into her moonlit night. Kurama had shone a ray of sunshine by maintaining that trust that she didn't give him. Kurama trusted her so much with everything and he was polite. Any other man would have given up on her indifference but not him, not him. She loved him so much that it didn't make any sense. And she wanted this tiny newborn girl to love her because she had truly never known love. It had been something that her mother and father had felt for her, but it was such a long time ago that Relli had long ago forgotten what love felt like.

For a moment she couldn't breathe at remembering the way her mother and father had loved her before they had died. It was something that she cherished those pure few memories for. They were the only ones that actually meant something to her. They were very unlike her time in her aunt and uncle's house, the trip to the Spirit World, and her stay at the asylum.

"She looks like an angel." Relli whispered as she gently carried the sleeping child.

Kurama was absolutely breathtaken by the sight. (Sorry, is breathtaken a word?) The way Realeza carried that child made his heart break, because he knew that he could never give her a child like that, or rather wouldn't. Demons were strictly prohibited from interacting with humans in that way. Raizen had slipped up with Atsuko and therefore was killed for his actions. He didn't want to end up dead, although if he spent a night with her it would very well be worth it.

His mind froze as he suddenly realized what he had been thinking.

_A little naughty are we? That's usually what __**I**__ should be thinking of her not you…_

Kurama stifled a mental groan realizing that his Youko demon was back, crowding his thoughts as usual, just waiting for a chance in which he could take over.

_Be quiet _Kurama instructed.

_You would like that wouldn't you? No, of course I'm not going to be quiet. I'm always going to be here whether you like it or not and since you're thinking these ind­­ecent thoughts I thought it might be a good thing that you let me out._

_That's not going to happen._

_We'll see. For now I'm going to leave you alone but if I catch you with those kinds of thoughts again you'll have to fight me for control. Farewell Kurama…_

Shiori looked at the maternal way Relli carried the little girl and smiled. "Her name is Runo, and she isn't named after her mother in case you were wondering."

"Luckily." Relli muttered under her breath.

"So-how did you end up with her?" Kurama asked, as he sat on the couch with his arms folded across his chest.

"Well my neighbor ended up pregnant and told me that she didn't want the baby and that she was going to abort it. I convinced her to give it to me instead and I took it as soon as it was born. She and her husband wanted no children and they moved into Kyoto as soon as Runo was born. The only thing her mother did was set up the adoption papers for the adoptive parents."

"But I happen to know that you can't possibly adopt a child unless you have a foster parent pair." Relli interjected. She had a tiny bit of experience with foster parents.

"This is why she told me to choose parents for her. She said she trusted my good judgment and that I would choose good parents for little Runo."

"Well who did you choose, mother?" Kurama asked.

Shiori laughed. "I guess your smart side is being used up by the university. Of course I'm planning on choosing you as the father!"

Kurama's eyes went wide and so did Relli's. The idea of Kurama as a parent made her feel even more affection towards him. If she ever got the mental courage to keep the promise of telling him about her past, she'd tell him that she loved him as well. She would kill two birds with one shot.

Kurama's mind was a frenzy of mixed emotions. On one side he was completely against his mother's outrageous plan. In a little over a month he would graduate as a psychiatrist and he would…try to pursue his career if Botan gave the Spirit Detective thing a rest for a while. He was lying to himself though. Botan wouldn't give the Spirit Detective thing a rest because of the contract he had signed a while ago. He had agreed in a contract to Koenma saying that he would be the Spirit Detective for twenty years. That was a long time and he couldn't care for a child, even if she was an adorable little human creature.

On the other side was the chance of having a good excuse to quit the contract. Surely Botan wouldn't dare argue with this. Koenma might be he wasn't a cold hearted monster. He would have to understand that he simply wouldn't be able to fulfill those twenty years with a child on his hands. But even better was a chance to finally have something that would keep Realeza with him.

He had an idea but he wasn't sure of how Relli would react.

_Go ahead _his demon urged. _Now you have a good reason to keep her here…_

And for the first time in his life, Kurama actually listened to his inner Youko demon.

"How about if Relli becomes the mother?"

Relli turned to him with her eyes wide. "You want m-me to be Runo's mom?"

"Well I think it's a good idea." Shiori told her.

For a moment nobody spoke.

Relli swallowed hard and her voice was a little weak. "But-but I can't. I'm only twenty-three years old and I'm-I mean I just can't I…"

Kurama glanced at Relli and felt bad for letting his want overwhelm him. She didn't have to be a mother if she didn't want to. Surely his mother could give Runo to a good family, but just not them… They weren't ready, they were too young, and they had affairs with the Spirit and Demon Worlds. A human pair would be better for Runo.

"I doubt that any one of us is completely ready for parenthood, mother. I think it best that you give Runo to a good family that wants her. I'm going to be busy in the next couple of years and I cannot care for a newborn child that isn't even mine. I'm sorry."

Shiori bit her lip. She had wanted her soon to take care of Runo since he was truly the only person she trusted enough with her. Obviously he wasn't ready to be a father and Shiori understood that.

She stood up and sighed. "Well I guess I was a bit naïve to think that forcing a child on you would help you out. I'm sorry Suichi dear." Then she extended her arms for the child that Realeza still held.

Realeza took one last look at Runo's sleeping, angelic face and gave her back to Shiori.

"I'll come back soon dear and in the meantime I'll look for a good family for Runo." was Shiori's parting comment.

************************************************************************

"It's good to see you Hiei. You too Mukuro." Kurama greeted the pair as they walked into Kurama's living room.

"Good to see you again Kurama," Mukuro turned to face Relli and shot her a smile. "Hello Relli."

Relli looked up from her book and nodded her head politely to Hiei and Mukuro. "It's a pleasure to see you two again."

Hiei rammed his hands inside of his usual black cloak. "So what was so important that you had to drag me here?"

Kurama stiffened. "Well it's a very…delicate issue." He turned every so slightly to Murkuro and she understood what he wanted.

"Relli I think they're about to have men talk so it's better if we get out of here."

Relli couldn't help herself and smiled, wondering what was so embarrassing to Kurama to not have him say it in front of regular women.

They left without another glance back.

"Hiei, before I tell you my uttermost secret you have to promise me not to laugh."

"Have I ever laughed?" he retorted, making himself comfortable on the sofa across from his fox demon friend.

Kurama chuckled. "Not that I've seen but still-just in case."

Hiei sighed. "Very well, I promise not to laugh. Now tell me."

Kurama made his voice go two octaves lower so that neither Relli nor Mukuro could hear. "I'm thinking of becoming a father."

Hiei started at his best friend in utter surprise. He must have misunderstood. Kurama wanted to be a father? He wanted to have a child on his hands? Had he gone insane?

Kurama noticed when Hiei's lips twitched, struggling to contain a bark of laughter.

"You promised." Kurama reminded him and that was enough to contain the laughter threatening to come out.

"I'll tell you exactly what I think of what you just said. I think you're insane. You, the Youko Fox Demon wants to be a parent of a child? Didn't you once say that I'd never see the day when you became a father?" Hiei made it sound like Kurama was too important to step down and be a dad.

"Well everybody has a change of opinion. Aren't you the one who said you'd never fall in love?"

Hiei shrugged. That was before he had met Mukuro, before he had found his true meaning in life. "So how did you change your opinion?" he asked.

A faint blush trickled over his face as he remembered the caring way Realeza had carried Runo. The ache in his heart was too overwhelming when he saw how it truly hurt her to give Runo back to his mother. He wanted her to have that maternal look in her eyes for the rest of her life.

His life was nothing compared to the obvious happiness that Relli felt when she carried that tiny creature. He would happily endure ten Runos if it made her happy. Truthfully, down in the deepest part of his heart, he did want to be Runo's father because it meant that Relli would most certainly be the mother and it gave him a good reason for her to stay for the rest of her life with Kurama. He was selfish and he knew it but he still wanted to have Runo as a daughter.

Hiei glanced at his friend. In all his life he had never seen Kurama so happy. Ever since Relli had come to live with him as his Spirit Detective Assistant he had seemed more cheerful, more pleasant, more caring, and more-in love.

Hiei's eyes went wide as he realized why Kurama seemed more happy and uplifted. _This idiot fell in love with Relli!_ he thought to himself.

"I changed my opinion because-because I thought that it would…" Kurama trailed off as he saw his friend's perceptive glance and sighed. "It's no use lying is it?"

"You don't know what I'm thinking and I'm not even sure if I'm right so please, clear it up for me will you?"

Kurama sighed again and looked at Hiei straight in the eyes. "I'm in love with Relli."

Somehow it was different from saying it in his head, to saying it aloud.

Kurama felt slightly embarrassed when he said it, feeling that it sounded too much like a bad romance novel.

Hiei thought differently. The way Kurama said that he loved Relli was enough to make him think that Kurama would never let her go. It had been the same way for him with Mukuro. One second she was just a regular girl with that strange orange hair and the next, she was Hiei's entire world and he realized that he loved her orange hair. Love made people complete idiots but it also made people truly see, and that was the most pure gift that anybody could discover.

"Well…I guess I was right." Hiei stood up and stared down at his friend. "Does she feel the same? Does she trust you?"

Kurama winced. "I wish I knew if she felt the same way Hiei I really do but I'm not a mind reader. As for trusting me, she trusts no one at all, not even me."

Hiei closed his eyes and shook his head. "Then tell her, before you go insane trying to figure out if she loves you or not."

_So here's my fourth chapter and I hope you liked it. Please review_


	5. First Kiss

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Yu Yu Hakusho' or any of its characters.**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

_Thanks for the review Death101-Fox Version. I didn't watch all of Yu Yu Hakusho so I didn't really figure out that Raizen was actually Yusuke's great great great great so on grandfather. Somebody told me that he was Yusuke's father but thank you for clearing it up for me now. I appreciate your reviews a lot! Oh and by the way I wasn't planning on making Runo's eyes green I'll leave you to guess what her eye color is going to be._

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Relli got up early to start breakfast. Today they were going on that super important mission that Koenma had insisted upon.

She shuffled through the kitchen and began to shuffle the frying pan to cook some eggs. Her hair was still ruffled from sleep and she was still wearing her pale pink pajamas. As soon as breakfast was ready she would change.

In her haste she didn't see an amused Kurama glancing at her from behind. In the months she had been living here he had never seen her wearing her sleepwear and to him she looked adorable.

Relli turned around to get the orange juice from the refrigerator and saw Kurama smiling at her.

A faint pink stained her face and she turned defensive. "What?"

"It's just the first time I've looked at you in your pajamas. You look very adorable Relli."

She bit her lip as she added that to her list of compliments. "Well then thank you…I guess," She turned to the juice and stared for a minute at it. "What's going to happen to Runo?"

Kurama grimaced. "Well she's probably going to go to an orphanage if my mother cannot find a good family for her."

There was a moment of silence as Relli thought of this.

"I've never been a mom and I think I would fail if I tried to-to take care of her. If it wasn't for that then…maybe…"

"Why do you think you would fail Relli?"

She turned to face him. "My aunt mistreated me. She slapped me, hit me, and beat me with everything she could get her hands on. She never gave me kindness of any kind and resented my very presence. I doubt I could show any child kindness when I wasn't shown it. My uncle was no better, he would try to-"

She froze as she realized she had been about to tell one of her most intimate secrets to her housemate. She cleared her throat nervously. "Well I don't think I can be a good parent and that's it. Just let it go Suichi."

He grabbed her arm hard enough so that it would be hard for her to free herself and held her close to him. "What did your uncle do to you Relli?" he asked, through gritted teeth.

She turned away from him. "Nothing just let me go." It was getting hard to keep her heart steady when he was so close to her. That and the fact that he was very close to guessing her secret.

"Am I interrupting?"

The voice was unusually grim and non friendly. Botan stared at them with her eyes cold and distant. Relli used the opportunity to break herself away from Kurama's grasp. "No, not at all. I'm glad you got here." _Just in time_ she thought to herself with relief.

Botan seemed relieved and settled a warm smile on her face. "Well then are you ready?"

"Almost-but just so I'm clear what do we have to do again?" Relli asked.

"You have to go to a prestigious human formal party disguised as a human couple. Your mission is to bring down two demons that will be assisting that party. They're out for human money and at that party there is going to be plenty of it. However, you must not harm them and please try to not blow your cover alright?"

Both Kurama and Relli nodded.

_That night…_

Relli went upstairs to get dressed and before Kurama could reach the stairs Botan grabbed his arm roughly. "I hope I was imagining that embrace that I saw when I came in this morning."

"You didn't imagine it Botan and it wasn't an embrace. I was just asking her a question."

Botan grimaced. "I care for you very much Kurama but if you have a relationship with Relli and King Enma finds out about it there's nothing I can do to save you."

"Believe me I wouldn't do that." Kurama said sincerely and broke away from Botan to get dressed. They were heading out to one of the most populous dances that existed for the rich.

Botan waited for them with a frown. Relli was a human who knew too much and although she knew part of her history she never understood why Relli wouldn't tell anybody the secret she kept from the good guys. That was half the reason that Tekkan was after her. He wanted to know the name of the girl who was a demon trapped in the body of a human because that demon carried Spirit Energy that rivaled Yusuke's. Relli was the only one who knew it but Botan couldn't imagine how she could've found out.

_That girl is so full of secrets I'll be lucky if I drag three out of her_ Botan thought to herself as she waited for both Kurama and Relli.

Kurama came down first, having only to put on his tuxedo and look presentable.

Botan narrowed her eyes at him. If she wasn't Koenma's wife and if she wasn't in love with him she'd hit on Kurama.

He was wearing a simple, elegant black tuxedo with a white shirt underneath. With that red hair and green eyes of his he looked very eye-catching.

"Interesting choice Kurama. I hope you don't startle the women too much."

"Why thank you Botan. You look splendid as always." Kurama told her, politely.

"Botan can you help me fasten this thing on my head?" Relli asked as she came down the stairs with her hands in her hair trying to fasten a pin in the shape of a blue butterfly. As she landed on the first floor her eyes wandered towards Kurama and she froze in her spot.

Kurama was already frozen to the ground at seeing her dressed like that. Her beautiful hair was pulled into a bun and that made her blue eyes stand out. On her slender frame was a black dress that came just to her knees. Her shoulders were exposed and the dress was in the form of a back off and it was tied around her delicate neck.

_Damn, are you thinking what I'm thinking?_

_How the hell can I not be thinking what you're thinking?_ Kurama asked his inner demon irritably.

_Calm down. I'm just wondering how you can take looking at her and not do a thing. If I was in your place-_

_If you were in my place she would kill you if you tried. She feels no attraction for you. _

_But you have to admit that __**you've**__ gotten on her good side. Maybe you'll get lucky. Hell maybe we'll __**both **__get lucky._

_For once demon, be quiet_ Kurama told him.

_It's been a long time for both of us and even though you try to hide it you want her._

_And?_

His inner demon paused. He had expected Kurama to deny it vehemently but now that he openly said it he was at a loss for words.

_I'll leave you alone Kurama. You know I hate parties._

Kurama was still staring at Relli and she was still staring at him.

Relli tried to look away as Botan helped her with her pin.

"Now remember that for this dance you are going undercover. These particular humans are very dangerous and wouldn't hesitate to shoot you at all so be careful. Kurama you remember your identity right?"

Kurama blinked his eyes, trying to understand what Botan had just said to him. "I'm sorry what?"

Botan sighed. "Your fake identity, do you remember it?"

Kurama nodded. "I'm Isaac Norwood, the Englishman traveling from England right?"

"Exactly right so talk with an English accent. You'll fit the part just right since you're such a gentleman. Relli do you remember your part?"

"I think so. I'm Leonora Norwood, Isaac's wife right?"

The way she said those words almost made Kurama's heart stop but she said them merely as a figure of speech. She didn't mean it literally. And if she was anybody's wife she was Isaac's not Kurama's.

"Yes Relli. Try hard to seem as if you've been married for two years which is the amount of time that the real Mr. and Mrs. Norwood have been married." Botan told them, fixing Kurama's bowtie for him.

"How do you know that they won't show up at the party?" Relli asked.

"Oh they're safely knocked out by a fake doctor's injection. They'll be out for a couple of days at the least so there's no need to worry. Nobody at the party has ever met the Norwoods so you should be safe."

Relli nodded and tried to calm down her sudden nerves.

************************************************************************

"Right this way sir."

The butler leaded them to a semi-full room that situated many rich people. The walls were completely white and so was the floor. A priceless glass chandelier hung from the ceiling causing the fully-lit room to sparkle.

"Nice house." Relli mumbled, under her breath. Her left arm was enlaced with Kurama's right one so that they looked like a married couple.

"Mr. Norwood?" a man called out to them from the middle of the floor. He approached them, accompanied by a woman who was maybe five years older than Relli.

"Mr. Norutobi, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Kurama said, extending his hand to the young man. It seemed impossible to even think that Kurama was just acting as someone else. He actually seemed to believe it himself.

"Please, call me Sono. It's good that you could come to this little reunion of successful business leaders, Isaac. This is my wife, Junai Norubori."

The black-haired woman extended her hand to Kurama and gave him a little slight wink. Relli bit her lip. Already a woman was hitting on Kurama. Why did he have to look so good?

"This is my wife, Leonora Norwood."

Mr. Norutobi glanced at the lavender haired woman with interest. It had been rumored that Mrs. Norwood was not the most eye-catching woman in the world but that had been a dirty lie. He could see that plainly.

"A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Norwood." He said, shaking her hand. Junai seemed indifferent as she too, shook her hand.

"Likewise." Relli responded with a smile on her face.

"Well come meet the other businessman, Isaac. There are a lot of people who want to meet you. You've been very famous since you started your business from where your father left off."

"Interesting." Kurama murmured. He had no idea what 'business' he owned.

"This here is Rodrigo Castro, the head of the most well-known business of our kind in Columbia. He's probably the richest one out of all of us here." Mr. Norutorbi bragged.

The man took a sip from his champagne glass to eye the young woman accompanying the new drug lord. She was a pretty girl, much prettier than some of the women in his country for sure…

"Don't brag so much about me Sono. I'm just a hard-working man who has had a bit of luck in this business." he said, taking another sip, never taking his eyes off Relli.

She moved, uncomfortable with the gaze of Rodrigo. The way he looked at her reminded her of her uncle and the Siluvian brothers.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet the king of kings. I'm Isaac Norwood." Kurama said respectfully shaking Rodrigo's hand.

Rodrigo turned to face Relli and she shuffled, trying not to show her discomfort. "And who is this lovely woman accompanying you Isaac?"

_I think it's pretty obvious who interests him the most Kurama._

_For once I actually think you're right _Kurama agreed. Out loud he said "This is my wife, Leonora."

Rodrigo took Relli's hand and kissed it very gently. "A pleasure to meet you Leonora." he said huskily, using his Columbian accent to make the most out of her name.

"A pleasure to meet you as well." she lied. All the wanted was for him to let go of her hand.

_Kurama if you don't do something about this son of a bitch I will _the Youko demon threatened.

Kurama gently pulled Relli away from Rodrigo's grasp and held her. "Shall we go see the other businessmen?" he suggested lightly even though inside, his Youko demon and his inner self were growling in anger. Or rather…jealousy…

"Of course, right this way." Sono said and led them both away from the powerful businessman.

He led them to a couple that weren't too far from the dance floor. "Isaac, Leonora, this is Kusnade and Kura Iwaki. Kusnade, Kura, these are Isaac and Leonora Norwood."

"It's very nice to meet you. I've heard great things about your drugs. Are they really as intense as your father made them?" Mr. Kusnade Iwaki asked, with a pleasant smile on his face.

Relli and Kurama froze in spot unable to think for a couple of seconds.

"Of course they are. My father knew what he was doing and he inherited me all his secrets to make the drugs as powerful as they can." He said, hoping that the worry in his tone was disguised.

_Oh hell this is a bind. Do you know anything about drugs?_

_Not in the least my dear Youko Demon_ Kurama admitted.

_Well you better come up with a distraction fast or else they're going to ask you how to make a drug and you're gonna be fried along with your wife…_

By some miracle Kurama's cell phone rang and he excused himself along with Relli.

When he opened his phone it turned out to be Botan checking up on them.

"Botan what did you get us in to?" Kurama demanded, wishing he was in a private place so that he could talk loudly to her.

"What do you mean what did I get you into?" she asked, completely bewildered.

"You got us in a party full of drug lords and I didn't realize it until somebody asked me if I made them exactly like my dad did!" Kurama exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice low.

"Oh I forgot to mention that little detail. Sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it Botan! How are we going to find the demons when everybody here is the worst of the worst?"

"Well you'll just have to try your best Kurama. Now listen up I have some new information that I just got from Koenma. It turns out that Relli knows one of the demons. I don't know how she knows about her exactly but the demon girl's name is Sunia and she should be with another demon, a male. Watch out for them and have Relli point out to you who Sunia is."

"I understand but how do you think she knows all this?" Kurama said tiredly. How many secrets did Relli have?

Botan sighed. She wondered the exact same thing. "I wish I knew but only she knows and only she can trust somebody enough to tell them the entire truth."

Kurama closed the cell phone thoughtfully and turned to Relli. She was looking at him with curious eyes, wondering what Botan might have told him.

"Botan told me that you know one of the demons here but I think I need a drink first." Kurama said to her with a frown.

Relli winced. "I'm sorry but I just can't tell anybody all these secrets that I have." she whispered softly.

Kurama gently cupped his hand underneath her chin and raised her head to look at him. "It's okay. I can wait as long as I can for you to tell me." he said, quietly, though it hurt him that she didn't trust him still.

He smiled at her and then remembered that they were inside of a house full of drug lords that thought he was a heir to a secret intense formula.

"Pardon me Isaac, but do you thin you could lend your pretty wife for me to borrow?" Rodrigo asked, with one hand extended towards Relli in an obvious invitation to dance.

Relli glanced up at Kurama in fear and his inner voice growled as well as his demon.

_If that bitch thinks you're lending him our girl then he's got another thing coming. _Youko growled.

_If you acted like this all the time I would actually enjoy having a voice in my head Youko. _Kurama told him.

"Well actually I was just about to take Leonora out to dance. I'm sorry but I _am_ her husband." Kurama said and he couldn't help himself from putting an arm around Relli's waist to signal that she was his and that he wasn't willing to share. Without another glance at Rodrigo he took Relli out to the growing dance floor.

"Thank you Suichi." She said to him as she rested left hand on his shoulder and her right in his hand. She pressed herself to him so that they would move in time to the slow tune that the drug lord was playing.

"Anything for you Relli you know that." He whispered in her ear.

None of them said a word as the both drifted in each others arms. The moment was so sweet, so untouched by evil that during those few minutes they actually felt as if they were meant to be together. No evil was around them (except for the drug lords of course) and they felt at peace.

"If we weren't in a house full of terrible human criminals and two demon criminals I would actually feel at peace." Kurama said quietly in Relli's ear.

She chuckled softly and shivered as she saw Rodrigo's hungry gaze. "Rodrigo scares me Suichi." She whispered against her will. She hated to admit vulnerability. It wasn't something that she liked.

He tightened his grip on her waist and felt fierce power. "I wouldn't let him touch you like you uncle did Relli." he said, putting his theory to the test.

Relli gasped and looked up into his eyes. "How did you know that my uncle-?"

"I know an abused woman when I see one." He said through gritted teeth.

Tears threatened to fall down her eyelids and she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest. Kurama was worth every bit of her trust if he could tell she had been abused and now show any repugnance for her.

When she was positive she wasn't going to break down in emotion she looked up at Kurama and leaned in. Very, very gently she kissed his cheek.

Kurama looked at her surprised while Youko grinned in giddy excitement.

_Oh you've got her in the bag Kurama. Nice job, real nice job. _

Kurama didn't bother in even acknowledging his inner demon's voice. He was still stunned that Relli had showed any signs of caring for him at all. It was more than he could've ever hoped for.

_Didn't I tell you she liked you but noooooo. You didn't want to listen to me. She loves you Kurama, just like you love her._

_I am actually beginning to like you demon_ Kurama said still dazed from what Relli had done.

He looked at Relli's blushing face and couldn't help himself. He slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Relli's for the first time.

Time seemed to stop and there was nothing that mattered more at that moment.

Relli was taken aback by Kurama's sudden movement.

_He's trying to make it seem like he's really my husband and that's he's really in love with me. He's just playing…But I don't care._

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned closer into him. Uncontrollable feelings were surging through her. There was nobody in this world except for him. She cared for him so much, more than she had ever cared for anybody. She loved him and although she said it easy, there was so much meaning behind those words. So many touches, feelings, words, and emotions that made her feel this way towards Kurama. He had earned every bit of her love with pure sensitivity. This feeling had never been claimed and now-it was completely his. He had never taken advantage of her, never insulted her, never beat her, and never told her she was worthless because of her dark past (or what little he knew of it) He was worth everything she had been through to get to him…

Kurama's hands tightened around her, feeling her soft lips press against his. Everything he had been looking for he had found in her. Fragileness, tenderness, sensibility, the list went on and on. She was like glass. She was strong and rough on the outside but she was easily broken, easily destroyed and so he had to take good care of her. Her past needed desperate healing and he wanted to be the one to cure Relli. He wanted to make her forget every bad thing that the demons and humans had done to her to make her distrust people so much. He wanted to show her that not everybody had a stone heart inside of them. He didn't. He had a warm heart that pulsed for her, only for her. He loved her and that was something that he couldn't change no matter how many years more he would live.

They broke apart with a gasp at realizing what they had done. Nobody was watching them but they didn't care about that at the moment.

They both looked into each other's eyes as their lips still felt the silent words that both of them were too afraid to mention.

"I-I…I just-well I was just…" Kurama stammered unable to form a coherent sentence.

_Tell her the damn truth! Go ahead and spit it out!_

"You were just playing the part." she said smoothly trying not to let her pain overwhelm her.

_Well, I guess she doesn't love you after all. Bad luck Kurama but try to act like you were just playing the part._

"Right." Kurama answered with no emotion on his face.

The song ended and they instantly dove for the drinks that the waiter was passing around. They drunk the drinks they snatched pretty fast and tried to steady their racing hearts.

"Having a good time?" Mr. Iwaki asked, holding his wife beside him.

"Of course. Mr. Norutobi's house is very lovely." Relli responded to him.

"So tell me more about you Leonora. Do you have children?"

For a minute her thoughts went back to her uncle and then she came back to reality.

"No, I can't have children." she said in a soft, quiet voice. This was one of her most well-kept secrets that she had just confessed.

Kura Iwaki looked at her with empathy. "It must be terrible. I couldn't imagine life without my two angels."

Relli looked up at Kura, directly avoiding Kurama's gaze. "You have two children?"

"Yes and they are my two angels."

"More like two devils. Those kids are hateful little runts but you can't help loving them." Kusande told them, drinking his champagne.

Kurama wrapped an arm around Relli's shoulders. "Even if Leonora can't have children, that won't stop me from loving her with all my heart." he said sincerely and that was the whole truth.

Kura looked past them and frowned. "I know something that's going to stop all of us from getting home." She grumbled and pointed towards the large window on the side. It was pouring rain and it looked like a thunderstorm was on the way.

Mr. Narutobi walked towards them and said "It looks like you won't be able to get to your hotel tonight so I'm inviting everyone to stay for the night. How about it?"

"Well," Kurama glanced at the window again and deduced that now instead of having till this party ended, they had until the morning to find the two demons, which were still unnoticed by Relli. That gave them more time and definitely more shelter.

"We accept." Kurama told him, gallantly and nodded his head.

They were trapped in a house full of invited drug lords, demons, human servants, and a very repugnant pervert who had his eyes on Relli. And they all had a license to kill. Things just couldn't get any worse.

And as it should happen, they did.

_So here ends my fifth chapter and I hoped you like it._


	6. Sunia

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I wish I did though.**

_Sorry it took so long but I was stressing over exams and I didn't have the time to finish this sooner but anyways thanks for waiting._

**CHAPTER SIX**

Rellistared at the rain.

It had been raining for a while now and since they were staying, there was no reason for her to think about anything in particular besides capturing the rogue demons. She wasn't thinking about the demons. She was thinking about her long-lost friend, Sunia.

_I hope Sunia isn't here. She spoke a lot about drugs and illegal stuff while I was at the asylum, but it would be too much coincidence for her to be here, at this party. I haven't seen her in six years so I doubt I'll ever see her again. I promised her I would keep her secret and I'm going to keep that promise even if I don't see her again. With luck they'll never find out that she's the demon that rivals Yusuke Urameshi in Spirit Energy…She has as much demon strength as he has Spirit Energy and if demons should find out…_

Relli shivered and wished she had brought a thicker coat. Kurama was speaking to Mr. Narutobi about something (drugs obviously) and Relli didn't want to drag along. She was alone and Rodrigo kept staring at her like she was something to eat. It made her scared.

The amount of evil in this place was almost intoxicating. To think that kind Mrs. Kura Iwaki had assisted her husband in becoming a successful drug lord was disgracing. Most of the people in this place were kind with semi-warm hearts, but all of them were greedy people with no care for other humans.

She sighed as Kurama approached her. "What's her Relli?" he asked, trying not to let his worry show.

"Nothing, I just cant' stop thinking of…things."

_That was an excellent answer. The next time she gives you an answer like that laugh, you might get it _the Youko demon said.

_To think that I was actually starting to like you… _Kurama said disgustedly.

"Well I'll give you something else to think about then. Come, Mr. Narutobi wants to introduce us to the last couple of the night. Just this one and then we'll be ready to go to sleep."

Relli got up and Kurama placed his hands around her delicate face. He sensed her worry although he wasn't sure for what reason.

"Stop worrying." he whispered to her and helped her up, trying to ignore the indecent thoughts that his Youko demon was saying.

Relli's fragile heart jumped at feeling his hands on her and she tried to calm herself down.

They both walked over to Mr. Narutobi and he led them to a couple.

The woman was with her back turned since she was snagging a champagne cup from a waiter. You couldn't tell what she looked like despite for the fact that she had short black hair and that she was wearing an orange dress. The man beside her looked relatively human, but Relli could tell that their mission was almost over. It was obvious that this was the demon pair they were looking.

Kurama smelled the man's scent and instantly noticed that he was a demon, like himself. The woman was also a demon. Finally, after being here for almost four hours they had finally found the pair of demons that Botan had talked about.

He glanced at Relli to see her expression but she maintained an equal emotionless face. Either she didn't know the man or she was excellent at hiding her feelings. Maybe a bit of both.

"Saunda, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Norwood from England. Isaac, Leonora, these are Mr. and Mrs. Moru."

The lady turned around and Relli's eyes widened.

Saunda turned to face his companion and was shocked to find her with an expression of surprise on her face.

_What the hell is wrong with Sunia? _he wondered.

Kurama turned to face Relli and he too saw the expression of surprise on her face. So this was the demon Relli knew. Fate had interesting ways.

Relli and Sunia stared at each other until Sunia extended her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she said in a mechanical voice.

Relli shook her hand, following Sunia's lead. "It's really pleasant to meet you too."

They stared at each other remembering their time at the asylum. It made Relli think about the abuses and the hatred that had mercilessly been inflicted on them, especially Sunia. She was sick then and couldn't defend herself as easily as Relli.

Sunia turned to Kurama and frowned. "So this is your husband Leonora?" she asked, sounding completely innocent.

Relli was confused. There was nobody else in this world who knew just how horrible men were other than Sunia. She knew how Relli felt about men, so why would she ask that? Did Sunia remember Relli at all? Was she pretending?

"Yes Sunia." she said.

Sunia clenched her teeth a little and frowned making sure that the people around her couldn't see her expression.

"Well I'll leave you four to chat. I'll be attending the other guests since I'm the host so please, enjoy yourselves."

Saunda glanced at the couple in front of him. The woman named Leonora seemed human but years of experience had taught him to not trust in the cover. He sensed her strong Spirit Energy within her and he grimaced. The man who went by Isaac was obviously a demon; there was no question about it.

_So Koenma sent some of his so-called detectives after us. No matter, we'll finish them off soon. The should've pose a threat to us although… that Isaac seems familiar like I've seen him somewhere. Maybe in Makai?_

"Sunia dear, let's go see some of the other guests. We still have a way to go. If you'll excuse us…"

Saunda walked away with Sunia, giving Kurama a glare that wasn't exactly friendly.

"She the demon." Relli whispered as soon as they were both away from them.

"I guessed as much from your expression. Just how do you know her?"

Realeza looked at her hands for a minute. "I met her at the asylum where I was sent." she said slowly, carefully and then glanced up to see his expression.

Kurama was taken by surprise. An asylum? Relli was taken to an asylum?

"But-but why? You're completely healthy and sane. So is Sunia by what I can tell. Why would they send you to an asylum?"

Relli chuckled bitterly while she sipped her champagne. "They got us locked up because we told the truth."

_How much has she suffered? How much pain has she been through?_

_More than us is all I know _his Youko demon said.

Kurama kept an eye on Sunia and Saunda. "What truth are you talking about?"

Relli stopped her train of thought.

_You're saying too much Relli. What will he think if you told him that your big mouth was the cause of all this suffering you endured?_

"I…don't want to talk about it Suichi." she answered quietly.

A servant walked over and spoke to Kurama. "Mr. Norwood, it's getting late. Would you like for me to lead you to your room?"

"Yes of course." Relli answered before Kurama could say a word.

Relli and Kurama followed the maid to an upstairs room and she opened the door. There was one bed in the room and it seemed to be fit for a king, or a king and his queen…

Relli gaped at the single bed while the maid kept talking. "Now there are clothes for each of you both. As you could probably tell Mr. and Mrs. Narutobi are quite wealthy and they didn't mind buying extra clothes in the past. You can use those. They've never had the price tag removed. If you need anything during the night just ring the bell by the nightstand and I'll come right away. Enjoy yourselves." she winked and stepped out.

"I'll sleep on the sofa." Kurama offered before she could faint.

_You are quite an imbecile aren't you?_

_Be quiet. I'm not like you, Youko. I'm not a selfish, arrogant bastard who only cares about his own benefit. Even though I would gladly like to sleep with her I won't because she doesn't trust men, or even me enough. _

Relli looked gratefully at Kurama. As much as she would've wanted to tell him the truth she couldn't. Her wounds were still fresh and they still hurt remembering all those times.

"Thank you Kurama." she said and walked into the bathroom to change into her nightgown.

Kurama grabbed a blanket from one of the drawers and draped it over the sofa. He began to take off his jacket and untie his bowtie.

Relli quickly put on the nightgown and started to head out when she saw Kurama take off his shirt and her breath stopped. The lights were off, except for the bathroom one, but she could see every detail from where she was.

She didn't notice she was biting her lip until she felt her teeth grown numb. Damn. Curse Kurama and his flawless body.

A thousand thoughts ran through her head and she felt lightheaded just thinking about it. Would she even be able to sleep with him in the same room?

_Of course I will. I can't let him tempt me like this. He's just a friend, my boss, nothing else._

She gathered her courage and walked into the room purposefully not glancing at Kurama's lean body. With a flustered movement she dropped on the enormous bed and tugged the blanket over her body tightly. She heard Kurama gather his blanket and then his breathing was steady and even.

Time passed, she wasn't sure how long, but she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned but she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Rodrigo's hungry glare staring back at her. It scared her too much. If she suffered another encounter like that she would probably go into post-traumatic stress syndrome for real.

Relli shivered and finally decided to hell with it. This room was clouding her mind with infernal images of her past and she needed a release. She stood up slowly in her thick nightgown and began to walk towards the door.

She walked out of the bedroom and stared at the end of the hall, feeling chills.

"Are you afraid?"

She turned in the direction of the voice but nobody was there. Her breathing accelerated and she put her hand on the doorknob. Forget going for a walk she was going to-

A hard hand cupped her mouth before she could scream. The person put his other hand against her waist, preventing her from moving. She struggled against the man but he was strong. His biceps showed his strength.

Relli closed her eyes. _I'm sorry for killing this human Kurama but I have no other choice. You would understand…_

She gathered her Spirit Energy into the palm of her hand and crashed it into her opponent's side.

He didn't move.

She gathered even more energy but before she could launch it he chuckled softly. "It won't work on me. Unlike you I'm not a frail human."

Her eyes opened wide and she dissolved her energy. Whoever held her captive, he was a demon, a powerful one. Her first thought was Sunia's husband but she noticed that his voice was different. This voice was much huskier.

So there was only one candidate.

Relli felt herself being dragged up by Rodrigo up the stairs at the end of the hall and soon she was met by the chilly air of midnight.

She struggled forcefully against Rodrigo but he was a very powerful demon and he was more experienced than she was.

Rodrigo's mind was a blur. He wasn't thinking straight and he didn't think that it would be wise to leave her alive after he was done.

_So what should I do with her? _he mused. _What should I do with Leonora after she is mine?_

He let go of Relli's body and hit her.

She fell on the ground and gathered her Spirit Energy ready to fight back. She threw her purple orb at Rodrigo but he took it headfirst and didn't even get hurt.

She stared in shock at him. He had just taken two direct hits from her Spirit Orb and he was still standing.

On to plan two then.

Unfortunately Rodrigo guessed what she was going to do and covered her mouth before she could scream.

He grinned at her delicacy. It was lucky that she had been human. Now he would enjoy ravishing her even more.

Rodrigo threw her on the ground, with his hand still covering her mouth, and hungrily began to scout her body, tearing the nightgown out of the way. He held her down as she struggled for freedom. His mouth pressed against her skin and scenes of blackness crossed Relli's eyes.

_Not again…_

Tears seeped out of her eyes as she cried and sobbed, begging against him to let her go. Scenes of previous encounters with men taunted her memory and she couldn't help but remember the shame, the pain of it all. The feeling of another man's hands on your body in itself was disgracing-but to have him actually tear your clothes away to satisfy himself was unbearable.

A blur of color flashed and it instantly held Relli in its arms.

Kurama trembled with her in his arms, struggling to contain his anger. She had been about to get-

_Calm down Kurama. Would you like me to take over?_

The idea was tempting and Youko took advantage of that fact. The desire for vengeance stained Kurama's mind and he closed his eyes letting Youko take complete control over his body.

His body changed. First his body, then his hair, and then his eyes.

Realeza blinked trying to understand what had happened to her hero. She no longer saw the redhead's green eyes full of understanding. In his place stood another man, much more distant, that had long silver hair and the coldest amber eyes.

"_Stay back." _

She did as Youko told her.

Rodrigo looked curiously at the demon that had just transformed into Youko. He had heard great stories about the legendary bandit. He had heard that Youko had died being killed by a hunter. It was obviously a lie for here he was.

He smirked. Youko would have all his glory and power but all of it was completely useless against Rodrigo's power.

"_I would've spared your life if you hadn't attempted against my companion," _Youko started, with his expression calm and controlled _"But now that you've tried to deliberately take her, I hope you know that you won't live for very long."_

Rodrigo chuckled. "Go ahead and try Youko. I've heard all about your powers and I doubt that even all of them could put a scratch on me."

Youko's expression of coldness didn't change. _"We'll see about that."_

He put his hand to the ground and several red plants snarled up. Youko narrowed his eyes and Rodrigo and slowly pointed one finger at him.

The vicious red plants snarled and launched in his direction.

Rodrigo watched the plants come towards him with a mere expression of curiosity. Youko was every bit as dangerous as he looked.

As soon as the plants were in close range he activated his shield and as soon as the plants came in contact with him, they died instantly.

Youko narrowed his eyes. He had a shield that surrounded him from harm, or in this case death.

There wasn't any way he could penetrate that shield with his attacks. Physical attacks were completely useless…so how could he win?

_I always knew violence wasn't the answer _Kurama told him, though he too, was angry.

"Back off."

Everyone turned to face the young woman that was in the darkest corner possible.

She stepped out from the shadows and Relli gasped.

Sunia hadn't forgotten about Relli.

Rodrigo grinned. Another pretty girl. His luck was changing for the best.

Sunia smiled nervously at Relli and faced Youko. He looked at her warily, seeing her as just another person he had to protect.

"_It's best if you stay back. I wouldn't want the most priceless demon girl to get killed." _Youko murmured.

Sunia shook her head. "I'm not about to let this bastard get away with hurting my best friend."

She turned to Rodrigo and cocked her head slightly to get a sense of his energy. He was a demon obviously and with that shield to protect him from physical attacks he could do anything he wanted.

Sunia snickered. _Sit down._

Rodrigo stared confusedly at Sunia as he sat on the hard roof.

Her eyes became full of vengeance and he slammed into the brick house as hard as she could.

Youko smiled in spite of himself. She was dangerous and he liked that.

_For goodness sake please stop thinking about her. I gave you control over my body so that you could take Rodrigo down but since you couldn't I'll have to take back over._

_I would like to stay here for a while longer- _Youko paused in mid-thought as Kurama began to force himself back into control.

Sunia looked at the crumpled man on the floor and turned away from him in time to take a final good look at the legendary bandit.

_He's hot _she thought and let her eyes explore him. This wasn't the man Relli had been kissing inside during the brief song they danced. This man was more dangerous, more distant, and definitely more tempting although the redhead had his charm too.

Sunia watched as her beloved fox changed back into his half-human form and then she turned worriedly to Relli.

Relli wiped the few stray tears from her eyes that Rodrigo had caused and glanced up at Sunia.

Sunia walked over to Relli slowly and hugged her. "Always getting into trouble aren't you Realeza?"

"I'm not the only one." Relli answered.

Sunia chuckled. "I guess you're right. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

Relli nodded enthusiastically.

Kurama placed one hand on Sunia's shoulder as both of the girls stood up from their spot on the floor. "Thank you for taking care of him for me. I don't know what Youko would've done."

"Youko?" Sunia remembered the amazing man with silver hair and the fox ears. "Oh, the hotter version of your true demon form."

Relli pinched the back of Sunia's arm hard and she jerked back and pasted a smile on her face.

"But you're attractive as well so don't take offense." she fixed.

_She liked me better _Youko thought smugly.

Kurama paid no attention to Youko's thoughts and smiled at the demon girl. "Thank you Sunia but I don't think that that's enough to pay for the crimes you committed."

_He's more polite than the other guy Youko and he's way more peaceful. I can see why Relli would like this demon better. She always did value serenity but I would choose Youko…_

She sighed. "I guess I do have to pay for my crimes but at least give me tonight. I left my husband sleeping and if he wakes up he'll make a run for it. I'll hold him down for you until the morning."

Kurama nodded. "Perhaps I can convince Koenma to give you less time as punishment."

Sunia shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Either way I'm tired of being on the run with Saunda and nothing would please me more than to turn him in."

She glanced at Relli who was still drying her tears and grimaced. "For now take care of my friend. I don't want her to go into post-traumatic stress for real this time." Sunia hugged Relli one final time and left to go back to her room, deliberately stepping on Rodrigo's foot as she walked past.

Kurama pulled out his cell phone and called for Botan to pickup a demon that was dead and led Realeza away from the body.

She shivered and Kurama tightened his grip on her as they both entered their room.

Kurama hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead gently. "Forget about what happened okay. I swear I won't let that happen again."

She struggled to get the memories out of her mind but to no avail. Kurama broke apart from her and started to go to bed on the sofa when she ran to him and pressed himself against his smooth chest.

"I can't stop thinking about it Suichi I need you to sleep with me." she cried.

Kurama's eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly open.

_Kurama, you're my hero._

_Shut up! _Kurama said desperately as he struggled to understand what Relli was asking him.

"You want me to-to what?"

"I need you to hold me and help me fall asleep. I just can't stop thinking of what my uncle did to me and I feel scared." she sobbed.

"Oh that's what you meant." he whispered more to himself than to her.

He cradled her in his arms for a minute and then gently lifted her and placed her on the bed. He hesitated for a minute as he saw Relli on the bed and he swallowed hard. He gently rested himself beside her and pulled her close to him, shivering slightly. Kurama's imagination was running away with him and it was getting hard to think.

Relli's memories were instantly sated by Kurama's arms around her. She felt so safe, so protected, so…loved. It seemed that he tamed her memories and that he made every single bad thing vanish. It was easy to drift off to sleep in his warm arms.

Kurama looked down at Relli's face and was surprised to find her asleep. She looked like an angel with that lavender hair brushed around her face. For a minute he just stared at her, mesmerized by her peaceful and unguarded expression that marked her face when she was unconscious.

He smiled as she mumbled incoherent words. She talked in her sleep, how adorable.

"No." The word was cold and had a taste of fear to it so Kurama tightened his grip on her.

"I don't want this to happen to me again," she groaned as another violent tremor shook her. "So many people…tried…why won't they stop? I only want to be safe…no one-no one but him."

The words made no sense to Kurama and he tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. So many people tried to rape her. They wouldn't give up. She wanted to be safe with one man. But who was that ma-

"Suichi," Relli whispered. "Suichi."

Kurama couldn't think but he wasn't really trying. His feelings overwhelmed him and he didn't try to understand them. He let them pull him under and gave in to everything he felt for her.

_You should tell her the truth at your graduation _Youko suggested.

_I will, for once I'll listen to you…_

************************************************************************

In the morning after they left, Kurama and Relli took Sunia and her husband Saunda to Spirit World to see what could be done. For Saunda, the punishment was severe. He had stolen Sunia from the Spirit World and then forced her to marry him and accompany him on his crimes. He threatened her with revealing her past to the entire Demon World and since she was very much like Relli in that area, that was the last thing that could happen. He got sentenced to ten years in Spirit World jail.

Sunia on the other hand for willingly turning herself and her husband in got only three years of "community service" which included helping out Koenma on the secrets that she kept. It also included helping Kurama and Relli from time to time.

As soon as Kurama and Relli left Botan and Koenma approached Sunia and asked "So spill out the beans already. You know about Relli's past right, so spill!"

Sunia laughed but her expression quickly became grim. "I was beaten as a young child and brought into the asylum completely mentally sick. Then I was forced to work was a prostitute by my own damn husband because I was afraid he'd tell my business to the entire Demon World. If _I_ had it bad, Relli had it three times worse because she wasn't as strong as I am."

Sunia glanced at her hands. "Yeah she definitely had it worse than me at least I wasn't-"

She stopped herself before she could spill anything important.

"Let's just leave it at this; Relli had a horrible life before I met her."

_If it seems kind of rushed towards the end it's cause I was in a hurry and I was anxious to finish it and go on the next chapter. If it seems to long sorry bout that. _

_Please review!!!_


	7. Kurama's Graduation

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Yu Yu Hakusho' you all know the drill. **

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Kurama opened his eyes and looked at the clock. Satisfied with the time he sat up and reached for his shirt.

Today was the day of his graduation from his university.

For years he had been struggling to finish it but it had turned out quite difficult. Being Spirit Detective hadn't helped him much either but now it was over. He was finally going to have the chance to finish his degree as a botanist. Originally it should've only taken a much shorter time but so much had happened and now it was at least five or so months late.

Once he finished dressing himself he smelled something coming from the kitchen and it smelled…good.

He smiled faintly. Relli must've learned how to cook well for the food to smell that good. Either he was a good teacher or she was a good student and he opted for the good student.

He went downstairs with his black tuxedo jacket flung over one shoulder.

Relli looked up once she heard a noise coming from the stairs and almost dropped her jaw once she saw her housemate. He looked like a model with the way the jacket was flung over his shoulder. She quickly tore her gaze from his body and gave him a warm smile. "Ready for breakfast Suichi?"

His stomach grumbled at that moment and he placed his hand over it, chuckling softly. "I guess I must be."

"Well here. I hope I cooked it right." she said nervously as she set a plate in front of him.

He tasted it and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. Her cooking had really improved. "It's…good!"

She smiled, reassured and went upstairs to change. Once she was securely locked behind her door she opened her drawer to pull out a simple box. It was her present for Kurama…

* * *

"Inizi Makawaru, Terari Menizu, Suichi Minamino-"

As soon as his human name was announced a group of very special people cheered and several others in the audience looked back, disturbed by the loud noise.

Kurama walked up to the stage and took his diploma and stood with the others of his class feeling vaguely embarrassed for all the good attention his friends were causing him.

When the names were done being called out by the dean the first one that hugged him tightly was Shiori.

"I am so proud of you Suichi." she said through a choked up voice.

"Thank you mother." he answered as he hugged her.

Shiori turned for a minute to attend to Kurama's group of friends and Relli took advantage of the fact that she was distracted to make her move.

Relli shyly approached him with her gift. "Suichi, I made this for you." she said, carefully avoiding the other eyes of the former Urameshi Team. She handed the long box to him.

Kurama carefully took the box and opened it. Inside was a chain with a small gold pendant.

"It's a mood necklace." he murmured, taking it out of the box and studying as the colors changed.

"Not exactly. It doesn't change according to your mood." Relli took the necklace and wrapped it around her palm. "It changes according to how close you are to changing into your Youko Demon."

Kurama's eyes widened. She had actually made something for him that could predict when his demon was close to taking over?

_So much for the element of surprise…_

"This is priceless." he whispered as he twirled the chain around his palm. Now he would be able to see just when his Youko was about to take over and prevent it, if possible.

He smiled at her. "Thank you." he said.

The pendant glowed a deep green as he hugged her tightly.

"Hey save the making out for later. I don't think your entire college class would like that." Yusuke said teasingly from where he was standing.

Shiori grinned at her son's obvious affection for that girl. She would bring him much happiness.

"They make an amazing couple." Keiko said to her and Shori nodded. "It's a pity that they don't seem to realize it."

However, both of them heard that comment and their reactions were immediate.

Both Kurama and Relli turned one shade of pink darker, holding on to their pride so that they wouldn't blush any more.

He turned back to Relli with an intent expression. "It's green now so what does that mean?"

"When it's green it means that you are completely in control and when it's silver, Youko is the one in complete control. After green comes red, orange, blue, black, purple, yellow and finally, silver." Relli smiled at the usefulness of her gift. "It should help to keep your demon under control, Suichi."

Yukina peeked over to Relli and Kurama. It seemed that they were doing talking about the supernatural and nodded to Keiko as her signal.

"Shiori, why don't we fix our gift for Suichi?" Keiko suggested with a glint in her eye. She couldn't wait to see the Demon Fox's expression once he saw what Relli, Yukina, and Shiori had gotten for him.

As if echoing her thoughts, Shiori nodded. "Yes, I can't wait to see my son's face when he sees our gift."

"What gift?" Kurama asked but he was immediately distracted by Kuwabara.

"They wanted to keep it a secret Kurama," he said with a big smile on his face. "Of course _I_ know what it is and I sure ain't telling you!"

Shiori turned to them with a puzzled expression on her face. "Why did you call him Kurama?"

Kuwabara realized his mistake but Yukina covered for him. "Oh that's just a nickname for Suichi." she said lightly.

Shiori smiled. "Alright then I'll go get your gift. Relli, would you mind coming with us?"

Relli shook her head and went off with Shiori and Keiko while Kurama stared after them with puzzled expressions.

He inched towards Kuwabara. "Do you know what they got me?" he asked him.

Kuwabara laughed. "Of course I know."

Kurama struggled to control his curiosity. "So what is it?"

"I don't think you should be calling their gift an _it_." he corrected.

"Stop worrying about what they got you Kurama," Yusuke told him patting him on the back. "Soon you're gonna see just how tough my life is." he said leaving Kurama more mystified than her already was. He waited for him to go on and explain himself.

But Yusuke didn't say anything else. He inched his little child closer and stroked him tenderly, exchanging a grin with Kuwabara.

Within a few minutes Shiori and the two girls returned but Relli was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Relli?" he asked them.

_Maybe she left…_

_She wouldn't leave…would she?_

"Behind you genius." Kuwabara said, grinning a wide, goofy smile.

Kurama turned around and-bluntly stared.

With a timid smile, Relli held Runo in her arms. A bow was on Runo's blanket.

Now he understood why Yusuke had told him that he would understand how tough his life was. Runo was the gift.

Relli gently held out Runo to him. "Here," she said. Relli hesitated debating on whether to say her next words. "Here's our-our daughter."

Kurama looked into her eyes as she said those words. He reached out for Runo and his fingers brushed against hers.

They both felt the tender burn travel through their bodies.

He glanced down at his present. She was awake now and he could see her beautiful brown eyes shining. She was playing with a small racket and her face brightened as she saw her new dad.

Kurama smiled. So beautiful…

A loud, rude cough brought them back to the present. They both turned to face a very irritated Botan and a very amused Genkai.

_You can never have any privacy _Youko said, in bad humor.

Meanwhile through Botan's mind preoccupation was surging. If King Enma found out…

Through Genkai's mind the exact opposite was happening. If King Enma knew what she knew then there would be no clear reason of why to separate these two kids. But as a favor for Realeza, Genaki promised her to never tell unless it was absolutely necessary or until it could not be hidden any longer.

"Botan, Master Genaki, we didn't think you'd make it." Kurama said, pulling Runo completely in his arms.

"Yes, well I was stopped by the police on the way here." she answered sullenly.

Kurama frowned. He knew just what kind of "police" had stopped Botan. You didn't need to be a genius to figure it out.

"I wasn't in a hurry to come here so that's why I'm late. Congratulations Kurama but the real reason I came here was to talk to Realeza so come with me while Botan talks to Kurama." Genaki commanded.

Relli glanced at Kurama and then walked away with the old woman having a good idea of what she was going to talk about. She had feared it since she had started helping Kurama out with his missions. It was going from bad to worse.

Genaki stopped by a bench and sat down. Relli sat down beside her.

"I can sense your energy stronger now Realeza. Pretty soon Yusuke will be able to detect it."

She shuffled her feet. "How long will it be before Suichi senses it?"

"Not long, although he may think that it's his at first." Genkai replied.

Relli nodded. Her energy had been very weak at first, which was why Kurama hadn't sensed it. When she had first met him she hadn't been training to improve that energy. She hadn't even thoroughly realized what to do with it. Genkai had informed her of the best way to hide it and she tried to keep the energy hidden.

In a way it made sense that Yusuke would be the second to notice it. As Relli grew stronger she would soon throw off waves of that energy and since Yusuke himself had human blood running through him, it would be simple for him to realize that the particular energy that Relli had wasn't human.

Kurama would take longer. He was mostly a full-blooded demon and he wouldn't sense her special energy for another months. _He_ wasn't a full human and therefore he wouldn't be especially sensitive to her natural born energy.

Genkai shook her head. "That's not a big concern right now though. Don't let this special attention go to your head. Yusuke went through the same thing."

"You've told me that Master Genkai." she said, wincing slightly.

"Yes but in Yusuke's case, the demon blood came from an ancestor," she turned to Relli with narrowed eyes. "Your energy doesn't come from an ancestor, at least, not one from time like Raizen."

"If I had any choice I would happily give up my energy."

"Which one?"

Relli bit her lip. Spirit Energy made her human but the other energy was-was just a plain sign of how unusual her life was. As if she hadn't had enough troubles with the demons already. Now she had another reason for being on the most wanted list.

"Whichever one is worse for me to live with." she answered finally.

Genkai chuckled. "Both of them are bad, in a way. Spirit Energy makes you a target for demons and so does the other energy although…" she paused for a minute deliberating. "Although this energy surely would make you more appealing for Kurama."

Against her better instincts Relli flushed because she knew it was true. Even as only lust Kurama would probably be much more interested in her if he knew about her second energy.

"Don't think that you're special Realeza. He has enough thorns in his life already for you to be one more."

Relli glanced at the old psychic in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that every rose has its thorns and that Kurama is no different."

She glanced down at her hands. That was true but what kinds of evil things had her Kurama done? "And what kinds of thorns does Suichi have?" Relli asked, curiously.

Genkai narrowed her eyes at the young girl. "That Youko Demon for one, surely you've seen how much more aggressive he gets when it takes over?"

"Yes, I have." she mumbled. The memory of seeing Kurama transformed into that silver-haired fox intimidated her. Although that once might have been his true form it seemed utterly foreign to her. She preferred Kurama's soft, gentle personality.

"And he's no doubt told you about the people he's killed, including that Amanuma boy right?"

Relli gasped and glanced up at the old lady. "Suichi has…killed a boy?"

"Koenma revived him so don't go thinking that Kurama is a ruthless bastard. The truth is that Kurama had to beat him at his own game or end up throwing the world into destruction and he chose the right thing to do. Hasn't he told you about his past?"

Relli stiffened. "He told me that I could ask him anything I wanted about his past but I don't like to get into other people's business," Relli's rigid expression softened as she remembered what he had said after that. "He said that he trusted me with all his heart."

"Shame the feeling isn't mutual."

Realeza bit her lip. "I've considered telling him the whole truth."

Genkai raised her eyebrows. In all the time she'd known Relli she'd always had a hard time trusting people. At first she had thought it was simple caution but then when she sensed the obvious discomfort Relli felt for people it became clear that she had been hurt.

It seemed unlikely that she would tell anybody the whole entire truth about herself. There were too many secrets inside of her lonely heart.

_Would she really try to tell Kurama the whole truth? _she thought to herself. _Would she tell him how her parents were killed, knowing that he might not like what he heard? _"Even the truth about your father?" she asked, skeptically.

Relli nodded slowly.

"That's good," she responded. "Now there's only one more thing for you to do."

Relli frowned. "And what would that be?"

Genkai's voice rose an octave at her naiveness. "For you to get your head out of the clouds and realize that you mean to Kurama than his own life."

Relli's eyes widened and her heart started beating faster as she repeated Genkai's words in her head. Was it true? Did he care more than she realized? Her mouth trembled slightly. Her past tormented her. Would she really be able to let go of it? Would she be able to put back all of the tears if Kurama cared? Her eyes softened. Yes. Yes she would. He was so calm and gentle with her, could he actually-love her?

Genkai smiled in spit of herself as she saw Relli's shaken state. Kids. She was a little girl to her…But that glow in her eyes whenever she spoke Kurama's name wasn't imagined.

"Well my duty here is done. Think about what I said Realeza. You're not the only rose with thorns and if he trusts you enough with his past then you should do the same." she turned swiftly and walked away.

* * *

Kurama opened the door. He was changing out of his suit so that he could be more comfortable for the dinner that Yusuke and Keiko were inviting him. Relli had gone on ahead with the pair and she was going to wait for him there.

He quickly shed his jacket and then thought better of it and decided to take a warm shower. He _did_ have another hour and if he was quick it wouldn't take long.

As soon as he finished, he wrapped a towel around his waist and dried his hair with a second towel.

"Nice look."

He glanced up to find Botan, smiling half-heartedly at him. Her expression was unusually tight.

He sighed. "If you came about Runo then-"

"No, I didn't come here because of her, although you _will_ have to have a chat with me about her. I came because of your next mission. It's unusually difficult and you have to go to the Demon World to solve it." Botan said, leaning against the wall.

Kurama raised his eyebrows slightly as he continued drying his hair. "Demon World? Who's our next criminal?"

Botan sighed. "Tekkan, the owner of the prostitution ring over there. The Siluvian Brothers have gone back to Demon World and they're hitching a plan and you and Relli need to stop it."

Kurama raised his eyebrows. "I get the feeling that Relli was somehow involved with Tekkan, am I right?"

"As always." she admitted, sullenly.

He sighed. It wasn't like she would tell him anything about herself. She kept herself an enigma and he couldn't seem to draw her out of the dark hole.

"Suichi, where are you? We need to go-" Relli froze in her place as she saw Botan and Kurama….in the bathroom…with Kurama half-naked.

She struggled to remain in composure. "Oh…well I'm sorry if I interrupted. I just came in to tell you that you should hurry up." Relli said, sounding cold.

She went back through and they both heard her slam the front door shut.

"Tell me she knows you're married."

"It never came up." Botan admitted weakly.

Kurama groaned and flung the towel over the sink. "We'll talk tomorrow okay?"

Botan agreed and fled as fast as she could.

_Um…well this is my seventh chapter and I hoped you liked it. This is a lead up for the next chapter which is going to be more…how should I put it? Um, passionate yeah. But it's not gonna be a lemon! Like always, review!_


	8. Wild Emotions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Why, why cruel world???**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"Is the power off?"

Kurama fumbled with the light switch to no avail. "It looks that way."

After Kurama and Relli had gone over to Keiko's family diner, they had gone to fix Runo's papers. It had turned out harder than planned because of the fact that Relli wasn't married to Kurama but it had finally worked out. Runo now had a last name, Minamino and she had a new family, one that would not abandon her.

Although they had both tried to adopt her as a couple, the main custody went to Kurama since he was the one who had a professional career and would be able to support Runo even if Relli left and that wouldn't happen, at least not now.

Relli clutched Runo's sleeping body tighter as she blinked, trying to focus her eyes to the darkness. She moved slowly to her own room to put Runo in her crib. Runo was going to sleep in the same room as Relli.

Kurama found his way to the cabinets beside the bathroom and grabbed one of the candles that he had. He lit one and flooded the room with dim light. He walked back into the living room meeting Relli as she too, came in. They sat across from each other on the two sofas.

"They all looked so happy." Relli expressed, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

Kurama smiled lightly as he placed the candle on the table in front of him. "They all seem to have found their other half."

She stared at the ground. Her eyes flooded over with memories of the past and for the first time in her life there was no trace of fierce revenge lurking in her mind. The only thing she wanted was to be complete and at peace, the way all of them looked. They way her parents had looked.

"My father loved my mother very much."

Kurama's eyebrows lifted. This was the first time she had said anything about her parents.

She looked up to gauge his reaction. Kurama's face was intent with trust. A slow, trembling smile formed over her pretty face. He was listening and he looked interested.

"My parents were young when I was born and they wanted to explore the world." Relli smiled remembering. "I was left behind most of the time. One day…they were both murdered." She closed her eyes, remembering that day. "The worst was that they were killed by the Siluvian Brothers although I didn't know it at first." She would have never known who killed her parents if the Siluvian Brothers hadn't kidnapped her in the first place all those years ago. Their arrogance had made Realeza sick.

Kurama stood up and sat beside her. He took both of her hands in his. He didn't say a word, there was nothing he could say and her certainly wasn't about to pry. She would go at her own pace with him.

"I was thirteen that year and I went to live with my aunt and uncle. They didn't like having me around." Relli said in a bitter tone. "My aunt would beat me and treat me as a slave. My uncle did pretty much the same. For two years he saw me as nothing more a burden." Relli tightened her grip on Kurama's hands. "That changed when I turned fifteen."

Kurama tightened his own hands around hers. "What happened?" he said in a low voice, matching the suddenly tense atmosphere.

She didn't look up at him. "He started…to touch me in-in ways I didn't like and I would hit him to defend myself. When my aunt was home she would stop him but when she wasn't-" Relli broke off unable to finish. She couldn't. It felt sick, nasty to confess something like this to him. She didn't want the image he had of her to be destroyed by what she said.

Kurama's eyes flashed with deep anger and his chain glowed black. He let go of her hand and wrapped them around her body in a comforting embrace.

"Stop," he murmured in her ear. "Stop if it hurts too much to remember." He buried his face in her hair inhaling her sweet lavender scent.

She tore away from his suddenly, remembering earlier in the afternoon the scene in the bathroom. "Isn't that what most men are after?" she asked, watching his face closely.

Kurama sighed. "Maybe, but it's not my priority."

She raised one eyebrow and he colored in spite of himself, remembering what she probably thought of this afternoon's scene.

"Botan came in unexpectedly. She never knocks and she was telling me about our new mission. Besides…she's married."

Relli perked up. "To who?"

"Prince Koenma of course. You haven't noticed?"

Relli felt incredibly naïve. Of course they were married. That's why Botan and Koenma were always giving each other those tender and affectionate looks. No wonder. They were married. _Married_. The scene in the bathroom was just purely coincidental.

"So that's why…" she mumbled. Her stupidity never went away.

Suddenly, her cheeks flamed up and she looked straight at him. "But I still think that you're a pervert in disguise."

He chuckled. "You think I'm a pervert?"

"Yeah, I mean you are always polite and respectful to women but I think that secretly, just like all the other men, you're after the same thing. And if you remember the first day that I came here you were going to watch god-knows-what with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei." she said, slightly teasing but part of her was serious.

"They practically forced that on me. Yusuke and Kuwabara thought that I needed to find a girlfriend."

"Maybe they're right." she answered and looked down at her lap.

"Well perhaps I've already found her." he said tilting her chin up.

Relli glanced up to see his expression. Was he was serious? She took a deep breath and hoped that she wouldn't kiss him. The proximity between them was making her head foggy. She would make a fool of herself if he kept holding her like this. Why had she gotten into this mess? Why had she started teasing Kurama about being a pervert?

Instead of drawing away as she should have, she drew nearer and wrapped her arms delicately around his neck so that she could feel his long red hair.

_It's so soft _she thought as her fingers slowly through his hair. _And much silkier. How would it feel to-_

She stopped her train of thought instantly as she felt his nose touch hers gently. Her eyes closed instantly and her fingers shook, trembling in anticipation and anxiety.

He didn't know what possessed him to move towards her. All he could think of…but that was precisely it-he wasn't thinking. Everything he was doing was by instinct that hadn't been resurfaced until Realeza had come into his life.

Kurama's mouth traced her mouth with his and she trembled. Her face flushed and there was no need for her eyes to open. She could feel his mouth, barely on top of hers, moving gently.

She could feel his cool breath hit her softly and when he pulled away she opened her eyes, demanding silently to know why he had stopped.

But she didn't get to say a word.

He covered her tenderly with a kiss that sent her stomach clenching in absolute fear, exactly like the first time. The feelings he provoked in her scared her completely. She'd never felt anything so powerful, so strong, for one person.

_It was about time _Youko murmured.

Relli's hands wandered to his hair and grabbed it freely now, with no regard to the embarrassment that was surely going to come afterward.

Kurama's own hands tangled in her hair and pulled her, perhaps too roughly towards him, as his demon spirit began to ignite again.

It was too much and yet it was so little. Their kiss grew more urgent and wanting.

Kurama pulled back roughly, with no apparent reason and looked at her with his eyes narrowed and cold. They were no longer green, they were amber.

His mind was full of sinful thoughts or rather, Youko's mind. One thought had been enough for his inner demon to take control of half his mind and it was time for the other half.

Her confused gaze fell to his necklace. It was glowing yellow. He was turning into Youko! She raised her eyes to face him and watched how his ears grew pointy and his clothes started to change.

He clutched his head and groaned.

_Stop it Youko!_ he pleaded.

_No. It's your own fault. If you hadn't thought of her in that way…. But I any case I'm taking over and there's nothing you can do to stop me._

"Relli," Kurama groaned. He was still grabbing his head trying to keep his inner demon under control. "Leave. I don't know what Youko would do if he managed to take over."

She stepped back slowly as she watched him struggle with his other self. Realeza turned and had just reached her bedroom when a hand reached out and placed itself on her door.

Relli froze in her spot. What was he going to do?

He turned her around roughly and held her by her shoulders.

She looked up at him and wasn't surprised to see Youko looking back at her.

"_Kurama was a fool,"_ he muttered running one finger down Reli's cheek. _"To have you near and never make a move. But now, I'm going to do what that idiot was too afraid to do."_

Relli gasped and Youko smiled harshly. _"It's quite a shock isn't it? Polite, kind, caring Kurama really __**has **__a dark mind. Now you know that that fool has desired you for some time." _he chuckled darkly. _"He was too much of a coward to try and take what he wanted."_ Youko ran his finger down her neck and began to run it down her chest but she slapped his hand away.

She glared at him with no fear in her eyes. "As if I'm going to let you."

Youko narrowed his cold amber eyes and tightened his grip on her shoulder. _"I see. You refuse me…but if Kurama was the one who had you in his arms, you would completely give into him-wouldn't you Realeza?"_

Reli glowered at him, unable to contradict him because it was true. It was true. But unfortunately the feeling that had made Kurama and allowed Youko to take over was lust. It was just desire, not love.

Youko smiled. _"I knew I was right."_

In the deepest corners of his mind, Youko sensed Kurama's strong emotion.

_If I was the one in your place then she would be with me…_

_Tough luck. You're paying for your mistake now._

Youko stared at her intently. _"I don't like people resisting to my commands."_

Realeza glared at him, not with hate, but with anger. "Leave me alone Youko. I wouldn't want to hurt Suichi but if you dare to try and put another finger on me-"

He grabbed her chin, hard. He gazed at her intently until his eyes shone with cold light as inspiration came to him. _"I don't love Runo." _he stated.

Her eyes widened and her intelligence wasn't needed to decipher his words.

"You wouldn't!"

"_Oh I'm certain that I would. That child is a bother to me and she's only in the way. I could get rid of her very easily."_

Relli stared at him, seeming calm but in her mind her neurons were working overtime. What was she going to do?

The only way to get out of this mess was to get Kurama back out and she wasn't sure how to do that. If she fought Youko he would win. She'd heard stories about his great power…

So the only way was to talk him out of it. How? What could she possibly say that could draw him out of his demon's control?

Meanwhile, in the same state of mental madness, Kurama was in deep anger as he considered several different ways to bring him back to control, none of which were that effective before.

A sudden spark of inspiration crossed Relli's mind and she looked straight into Youko's amber eyes.

"Can Suichi hear me?" she asked, tentatively.

Youko growled. _"Every word."_

Relli took a deep breath. "Well Suichi I wanted to tell you something very important about Runo…Have you wondered why I love her so much?"

Youko heard Kurama's response and repeated it to Relli. _"He thinks it's because you're very maternal."_

"Not quite," Relli said. She took a deep breath and said "It's because I'm Runo's real mother."

There was silence.

It was quite easy for Kurama to take back over and shake Relli hard. "What?!"

_I didn't quite see that coming, _Youko remarked from his place in Kurama's mind.

Shock was in his eyes and Relli didn't say a word until she saw that his eyes glowed green once more and that the necklace she'd given him was completely green.

"Is that true?" he half-asked, half-demanded.

She glowered at him. "No but I sure wish it was. I had to say _something_ extreme for you to come out."

He let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding as he relaxed once more.

"Can you let me go now?" she asked in a strained voice.

Kurama loosened his grip instantly while she rubbed her arms.

"Sorry." he apologized.

She glared at up with hurt in her face. "_Sorry? Sorry? _You knew that had I been abused and yet you still had that idea in your perverted head?! What kind of man are you?"

"_I _ didn't have it, Youko did-"

"Yeah right. You must have felt something to let him take over you so easily." She turned her head to the side, not wanting to look into his face. "I'm going to bed."

"Relli I-"

"I don't want to hear anything Suichi," she said irritated and embarrassed beyond belief. "The only thing I want is to forget this ever happened."

She slammed the door shut as she went into her bedroom and covered her face with her hands as she let out tears of sadness.

Kurama leaned against the wall, hearing her cry and he felt infinitely disgusted with himself, for what he had _almost_ allowed himself to do.

_What have I done?_

_Well okay this is the end of my eighth chapter and I want to know if it turned out okay. This chapter is real short comparing it to my others and besides I got stuck on this chapter on the longest time because I didn't know what would be extreme enough to 'draw' Kurama from Youko's control and that's what I came up with. And aside from that I was debating on whether or not to put it in because I nearly gave up on it but then I got my flash of inspiration. As always remember to review and just a note, this is as far as I'm going to go on the lovey-lovey stuff...probably. Remember to review!_


	9. The Beginning Of The End

**Disclaimer: Even if I did own YYH I probably wouldn't know what to do with it.**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**CHAPTER NINE**

The next morning was unbearable for both of them.

Relli got up and walked into the kitchen without making eye contact with Kurama and he did likewise. They were both confused of what had happened the night before.

Relli was embarrassed (as predicted) and feeling sharp anger. She hadn't meant for things to carry themselves that far. She hadn't meant for them to kiss like that. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know what she felt at all. He'd finally kissed her and he had transformed into his other self just as she was about to confess herself.

She suppressed a groan of frustration. And what about her gift? The whole reason she had given him that demon aura gift was to measure how much of himself was in Youko's control and he had transformed the same day she'd given it to him. If he couldn't use his gift properly then what good was it?

Kurama was thinking similar things from his place on the opposite side of the table. He didn't think his instincts would overwhelm him but they had and now they both sat in silence, brooding about the uncomfortable even that had happened the night before.

He stared at Runo. She was probably the only reason that Relli hadn't left, or was willing to leave. He loved her as well and was immensely thankful to his little daughter that she would allow Relli to stay, even for only a little while longer.

"Hello!" Botan's usual perky voice shocked them both from their mental battles and they both turned around to look at her.

Neither responded and they both looked like the walking dead. They made Botan wince with the expressions they wore.

_I wonder what happened_ she pondered but then she pushed that thought aside quickly. "I've got your next mission ready for you." she announced.

"Spit it out." Relli said coldly, as she gave Runo her bottle.

Botan was slightly taken aback by her attitude this morning but chose to ignore her. "Koenma sent me here to tell you two that you're going to the Demon World to bring down Tekkan and destroy his ring of bandits."

Relli gasped and quickly turned down to her daughter, trying not to let her emotion overwhelm her. _Not that…Anything but that…_

Kurama glanced at her sharply and almost asked her if she was felt well, but his regret for what had happened the night before stopped him.

Botan twisted her hands nervously. Sunia had hinted that Relli would respond like that. "He's been killing a lot of people and he has to be stopped."

"Botan, you do know that Tekkan holds a grudge against me right?"

Botan frowned. "Actually I didn't."

"Huh," Relli smiled wistfully. "I guess Sunia is better at keeping secrets than I thought." She shook her head. "Well he does and he'd like nothing better than to se me either dead, or suffering for the rest of eternity and there's no power in hell that will get me down into his hands."

"I'm positive that you and Kurama will-

"I'm not going," Relli said seriously. "Tekkan was obsessed with my mother and now he's obsessed with me. He ordered the Siluvian brothers to kill them because he hated my father for taking my mother away from him."

Of course she didn't say how her father even knew Tekkan or why it meant so much to him that Relli should die. Those were things that only Genkai knew. Well…maybe Lord Koenma knew but it was doubtful.

"And besides that Botan, Suichi and I have a daughter now-

"That by Koenma's orders will stay with her foster grandmother, Shiori."

"And what excuse are we going to throw at her? I don't want to leave her!"

"You wouldn't want her along would you? What if she got hurt? Kurama can't handle this on his own and you know that Relli."

She had no choice but it wasn't fair.

"Are you sending us alone?" Kurama asked.

"Actually I'm seeing if I can get Hiei to meet you there and sort of help you out. He's back in Demon World. Sunia, well she's still serving her sentence and she'll be along.

_Thank you so much_. Relli was grateful to Botan for saying that. She wouldn't last a second there if people knew who she was; a former runaway, a half-breed, the daughter of one of the heroes of his world. Her father had been an influential person and Tekkan knew that well. Why oh why did she have to be related to him?

Maybe, just maybe she could try and take him out before it was too late.

* * *

They crossed the gates into the demon world quickly and saw the vast place that was Sunia's and Kurama's homeland.

Sunia paused slightly. She hadn't been back in the Demon World since…well probably since she was a baby. It felt strange to come back to a place that you were told was the place where you were born.

Not that she particularly cared though.

"Which territory?" she asked.

"Koenma said that it was in a middle spot between the three territories before Enki took over. Right now we're in Yusuke's territory. We've got maybe five days before we get to the center point." Kurama answered, looking around.

"Well then we should get going." Sunia answered, casting a sideways glance at Relli who shuffled her feet. _I wonder if she's thinking about her uncle, _she mused and then quickly dismissed the thought.

By nightfall the three of them were tired and were ready to call it a day. The dark sky glittered overhead and Relli shivered, pulling her sweater tighter over her body.

The small fire in front of them quivered violently while Sunia slept.

Kurama was staring at the fire as well. It kept him from looking at Relli.

Relli shivered again and grabbed her backpack to see if another sweater was in there. There wasn't. She'd never been to the demon world personally. The Siluvian Brothers had taken another route and landed in the Spirit World and she was saved there. She hadn't known it was going to be so cold.

Sunia had packed a freaking huge sweater and was sleeping comfortably although in the morning she would probably be complaining about how hot it was.

Kurama himself wore a thick coat and didn't seem to be uncomfortable in the slightest.

The woods they were in were unusually solitary but just in case Kurama had agreed to take on an all-night watch.

Relli watched as the fire grew weaker and she threw another stick in to keep it going. She tried to do so without glancing upwards at Kurama.

_If I had known it was going to be this cold I would've packed more than a light sweater _she chided herself and tried not to shiver for the hundredth time that night.

Kurama finally looked up and saw Relli hugging herself with cold.

Without speaking he reached into his own backpack and pulled out a thick coat and stood up quietly so that he wouldn't wake Sunia who was resting peacefully. He reached Relli and gently pulled the coat over her.

She didn't say a word until she had buttoned up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." he answered simply, but he didn't get up from his spot next to her. Instead, he settled for staring at the fire once more, hypnotizing himself with the dance-like movements that the flames made.

"I didn't mean to do what I did last night." he murmured quietly.

Relli's face heated up, remembering how he had touched her and she ducked her head down slightly. "It was sort of my fault too. I shouldn't have dared you to dare me."

He didn't answer right away. "I didn't kiss you because of lust; I just wanted you to know that."

"Then why?" The curiosity in her voice wasn't hidden and she looked up at him with faint traces of hope in her eyes.

Kurama looked at her and her blue eyes looked at him back after a moment.

He couldn't tell her the truth. Not only was he not sure of her exact feelings for him, but now was not the time to be doing any love confessions. They were on a mission and they had to have a clear head. They had to think things through and anything concerning romance would cloud their minds.

So instead of telling her the truth he didn't answer at all.

Relli stared back at the fire as soon as he saw that she wasn't going to answer. "Well I didn't do it because of lust either." she answered a little shyly.

His heart missed a beat although his face betrayed nothing. "Then why?" he echoed.

"You didn't answer me so why should I answer you?" she responded.

"Good point," he agreed and slowly took her hand in his. "We're acknowledging that we feel something more than lust and desire for each other and we both want to keep it a secret for now. That's the way we should keep it for now but in the future we need to talk about everything that we hide."

Relli nodded and tightly pressed her fingers around his hand. "Someday." she promised.

_She always says that, _Kurama mused as he smiled slightly at her. _But she isn't one to break her promises. It's just a very long time before she trusts anybody with her heart. _

"It would be best if you went to sleep now. Tomorrow we'll have to keep going all day and it's still a while off."

She nodded and laid on the rough ground as best as she could. She buried herself in Kurama's coat and inhaled his scent and fell asleep with the warm aroma of flowers around her.

But maybe that was because Kurama made a soft rose petal bed for her to sleep in.

The next night while Kurama was sleeping and Relli was beginning to nod off, Sunia shook her making her almost topple backwards.

"What?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. Sunia was the one who was supposed to be having the night watch tonight, not her.

"I want to know what's up with you two." she answered, jerking her head towards Kurama.

Relli sighed and was about to tell her to let her sleep when Sunia said something she didn't expect. "If you're stupid enough not to trust in him then _I'll_ tell him everything about you."

"Sunia if you tell him so much as a word-

"You'll do what? I'm your best friend so you can't kill me," Sunia said slyly. But then she quickly turned serious again. "All this time he's been thinking you're a little defenseless, worthless, and sane twenty-three year old that has the craziest life he's ever seen. He doesn't know that you were locked up inside an institute for crazy people, or that your uncle is the most brutal bastard I've ever met. He doesn't even know what you are!"

"Except for the worthless part I agree with you but I'm not ready to tell him yet."

"That's your problem Relli. You're never ready. You never tell anybody anything about yourself. It's a freaking miracle you even told me and I wasn't even in my right mind!"

"You know why I don't trust people Sunia. You went through the same thing."

Sunia paused, considering. "I did but it's something you have to get over. You can't live with torment always in your damn head; you have to let it go. Besides in my case _they_ did go through with it, but you miraculously got saved every time they tried. It's a sign from above."

"Koenma?"

"Don't try to be funny."

Relli sighed. "I know that I have to get over it but-

"Just let me talk alright? One man, that hot guy sleeping right there," she jerked her head towards Kurama. "Makes you feel different. I can tell because I've known you for a long time and I'll be damned if you don't get your fairy tale ending. You're like a sister to me and Kurama seems like a pretty darn good guy. Why can't you just go for it and tell him how you feel?"

"Are you on crack? What if he doesn't like me back?"

"Take the risk, if you don't take it you won't find out. What if he feels the same and you're too chicken to find out?"

"What if he turns me down and I end up like a loser?"

"Hey," Sunia held her palms up. "It's a risk. I already said that but I'm willing to bet that this feeling between you two is mutual."

Relli hugged her knees as she thought about Sunia's words. Sunia was completely fearless. She knew nothing that would stand in her way and she took amazing risks to get what she wanted.

Relli wasn't like that. Relli was cold and withdrawn with no intention of speaking to anybody unless they inspired trust in her.

Trust…now that was something that wasn't easily gained.

"Everything is a beginning Relli even if you think it's an end. When you got locked up inside that asylum it was the beginning of a sisterhood for you and me. When you got shot by those four guys it was the beginning of something between you and Kurama. When we came here to the Demon World-

"It was the beginning of the end." Relli finished and buried herself in the grass unwilling to listen to anymore of Sunia's chatter. Sunia's ideas were horribly contagious and if she listened to her best friend go on she was going to wake up Kurama and that wasn't exactly the best thing to do at the moment.

Sunia sighed irritably. _That girl is stubborn as hell! I don't know why I'm even bothering to play cupid. _She leaned against the tree bark and watched the faint dark clouds in the sky move slightly.

_The beginning of the end…well put Realeza._

_Well this is my ninth chapter and I had no idea of how to keep it going so I stopped it here. It kind of dragged a little for me since I didn't know whether to spend a lot of time on the actual walking to Tekkan's secret empire but I didn't feel like doing it in the end and only did the night scenes. This chapter sort of got messed up I think since I had one slice there and another bit here and it really got messed up. By the way on a side note, more insight is going to be shown about Relli's mysterious past (I know I drag that part out too. I put too much mystery in it but soon you will know it all!) in the next couple of chapters and I've got it al planned out. I hope you liked this chapter and remember to review!_


	10. His Death

**Disclaimer: I own Yu Yu Hakusho…Just kidding!**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**CHAPTER TEN**

_**Small Chapter Insight: **__He's dead…it's over, everything is over…_

_Yes somebody dies. Guess who. _

They had finally reached it.

For a moment they stared at it unblinking, well except for Sunia who was glaring at it, and just looked at the enormous fortress-like building in which hundreds of people worked, most of them against their will.

The guards at the gate were unmoving and they would have been statues if not for the occasional mosquitoes that flew around them, buzzing and bothering them.

Kurama was analyzing their strategical point of attack. The three of them, plus Hiei and Mukuro's forces, were taking out this monstrous empire within mere hours.

The idea was tactfully planned so that Relli wouldn't have to end up seeing Tekkan's face not once, and so that Sunia would get her revenge in the sweetest way possible. Hiei was coming, grudgingly, Kurama suspected, to help them out while Kurama finished the job with the leader, Tekkan himself.

Sunia brushed aside a mosquito and the slight movement broke the trance.

"By nightfall we go in." Kurama told them, knowing full well that by that time Mukuro's forces would be here.

"Until then?"

"We wait." he answered turning to Sunia.

Relli didn't say anything although her knuckles turned white from gripping the tree bark tightly. Goosebumps began to form on her arms. Being so close to the man who had literally ruined her life was making her anxious. Her eyes were dark and focused tightly on the building. She could see the outlines of people that looked like ants from her place on the tall tree. All of them were probably there by force.

_I wonder how much Kurama will make you suffer dear Uncle _she mused to herself and turned away harshly from his building. Looking at it was going to make all her anger explode and that wouldn't be exactly stealthy.

Sunia turned slightly to see how Relli was doing and saw her staring sideways at the immense forest beside them.

She turned back to see the guards, still unmoving, and then said to Kurama. "You don't think they know about us coming do you, Fox?"

"Let's hope not. The element of surprise will be lost if they know about our presence here in Demon World." he responded.

"Well then let's get out of here and wait," Sunia suggested, standing up, leaning slightly on the bark. "I don't want to waste my powers on anybody except for Tekkan."

They dropped down from their place in the high tree and silently stepped back into the forest.

* * *

It was midday.

The three of them were well away from the fortress and were staying near a waterfall. To go back to the fortress they needed to cross a wooden bridge that swirled dangerously over the waterfall. Instant death, if anybody fell.

Sunia glanced towards that precise bridge as she picked an exotic fruit from a tree that the Fox had assured her was completely safe. The Fox would've made his own vegetation for them to eat but Relli had insisted that he should save his energy for the fight that would occur later that night. Now both of them were gathering fruit.

_And according to Botan the exact same thing happened to Yusuke, my human equivalent and his wife Keiko. What the hell is it with these people that they don't realize how much the other person cares? Are they blind? _

_Well, _she thought, thinking better. _I suppose I'm not one to give advice. I don't even know how I managed to end up with that bastard I called a husband. _A small smirk crossed her lips as she gathered another fruit. _If I had met Youko before Saunda I would've chosen Youko any day, although maybe he's a little too cruel for me. _

_What the hell? I like them dangerous._

Kurama took a bit from his fruit and winced. It hurt to move, the potion he'd taken last night had caused him an unbearable amount of pain and now it hurt to even move.

A breeze fluttered through the trees stirring slightly and sent a wave of air upon them.

He would've ignored the breeze if it hadn't been for one simple thing.

He could smell demon aura.

He tossed the fruit aside and stood up at the same time that Relli and Sunia sensed the energy. All three of them instantly posed themselves into attack position as a swarm of demons leaded by none other than the Siluvian Brothers came at them with everything they had.

Kurama unleashed his man-eater plants and killed them ruthlessly as they launched themselves at him, the demons hungry for blood.

Relli summoned her Spirit Energy and pounded through the lesser demons and soon came face to face with the Oriyuki brother.

Sunia easily commanded half of the demons to kill their own selves and cracked her knuckles once she saw she was facing the Miroyuki brother.

She smiled eagerly. She was incredibly hungry for a fight.

"Sure you don't want to back down? This will be extremely painful for you." she warned, tensing her muscles for a furious fight.

Miroyuki smiled. "I'm not the one about to get injured dear."

Sunia raised her eyebrow just as Oriyuki attacked Relli. He swung over her head and she summoned the Spirit Energy to her hands-

-Only to see Sunia get heavily injured from behind from the sword that Oriyuki carried.

Sunia's eyes widened and then fell shut as the hit rendered her unconscious. Miroyuki smiled and summoned his own sword. "Now that the mind controller is dealt with we'll have to go on with part two. This time, don't mess up."

"Don't worry I won't." his brother answered him as he turned to Relli as she looked on anxiously at her friend who was already bleeding heavily from the premeditated injury.

"Don't even try it." She glanced up at the Brothers that were eyeing her carefully. She raised her fists to them only to be caught by Oriyuki brother behind her. She summoned her energy and launched a blow directly at the demon's face but he grabbed her hands, wincing strongly, as he summoned his own demon energy to stop the would-be fatal injury.

Kurama glanced around him frantically. _Where is Relli?_

Demons kept coming from air, or so it seemed. They seemed to be focused on him and they blocked his entire view of Sunia and Relli.

He thrust his whip at a demon, killing him and swirled behind him to see Sunia on the ground and Relli held by one of the Siluvian Brothers. He started towards them and was instantly blocked by yet, another demon.

The demon grinned slightly at the Fox, showing his intense hunger for blood. "Niece."

"What did you say?"

The demon grinned again and showed off his yellowish colored teeth as he repeated the one word. "Niece."

"Are you looking for your niece?" he guessed, placing his Rose Whip directly in front of himself, debating on whether or not to attack. If this demon was looking for his niece then he would help him, as long as he wouldn't attack.

The demon stopped grinning and his lips curved into a dark frown. The fox demon didn't understand what he was trying to say. Was it that hard?

"Niece needs to pay." he murmured quietly as he launched himself at Kurama. Seeing his brutal strength, Kurama ended the ignorant demon's life and tossed his body aside, not letting himself see the black blood flowing from his body.

He saw Sunia unconscious and bleeding and Relli being led away with her hands pinned behind her towards the waterfall.

He gritted his teeth as he went after them with murder raging in his emerald eyes. What were they trying to do?

They held her in a tight grip as they led her to the beginning of the bridge and then the Siluvian Brothers looked at each other, with their secret plan in their minds. They nodded once and then ran for it already pulling the knives for the kill.

The Brothers got to the other side just as Kurama reached Relli and they started to go after the Brothers without thinking of the consequences.

Miroyuki slowly took one knife and cut the ropes holding the bridge together sending the bridge, tumbling down the waterfall, towering dangerously over the jagged rocks and the rushing water.

Relli gasped and held on tightly to Kurama's Rose Whip as she tried to hold on to the broken pieces of wood. Kurama was below her, trying to ease his weight but they were too heavy for it.

"The boss thought it would be best if he didn't kill you himself. Like it or not he has known you for a long time and you remind him too much of you-know-who." Oriyuki called out to her, watching as they swerved uncontrollably.

Relli gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on Kurama's whip, feeling the burn of the thorns digging into the palms of her hands painfully.

Kurama watched as the brothers fled, leaving them hanging from the bridge. "Relli try to pull yourself up."

She tried to creep up the long vine but another piece of the bridge fell beneath Kurama and she felt the ropes at the top begin to break.

"There's too much weight Suichi…we won't make it!"

Kurama watched her, struggling, above him. She was fighting for her life and what was left of the bridge wouldn't hold both of them…But it would hold her. He weighed more than she did and she would probably make it.

He couldn't believe that Youko's suggestion would actually come in handy. At first it had seemed just enough to make his life easier but now…It would be the best element of surprise…and a perfect chance to see how Realeza felt about him.

He looked up at her and his voice was very soft. "It will hold you."

"No!" her sharp tone warmed him although part of him felt deeply displeased that he wouldn't be able to hear her voice any longer. "I won't let you go Suichi!"

He sighed and the bridge cracked another bit making him grimace. He didn't have much time. "You have to get on without me. I am not about to let you get killed because of my selfishness!"

The waves beneath them crashed against the rocks and threatened to engulf them. The sounds were loud and they roared with the promise of death.

Kurama glanced below, slightly loosening his grip on his Rose Whip. "It's better if I'm the one to die…"

"You can't leave me…I've always been alone…You just can't desert me like everybody else, you're the only man I've ever trusted." Her voice wavered and tears found themselves at her eyes.

"Not enough." he said quietly and loosened his grip entirely on the vine and fell down into the water just as a lone fox was taking a casual stroll a couple of yards away from the unstable cascade.

Relli's scream was drowned by the sound of rushing water and she didn't think twice as she too, loosened her grip on the vine and fell towards him.

When she reached him, his heart wasn't beating.

* * *

Tears fell over her dirt-smudged face. Her lavender hair was thrashed around her face and she found no console for her pain. There was none. Nothing would help her now, now that he was dead.

_I never said anything about what I felt to him, I never trusted him. I should've told him…!_

Regret burned at her like animal claws. Perhaps if she had held on to him tighter then he would have-

A sob came out from her throat and she buried her face in her legs. She clutched them tightly, crying.

From a corner of the cave where she was, stood Hiei, who was looking at the dead Fox's body with faint sadness. They had been like brothers although he had never told the redhead.

Sunia clutched her head tightly, watching Relli's face with absolute sympathy. She had told her to tell him the truth but she wouldn't listen and now her friend would deal with her love all by herself.

Lord Mukuro brushed her hair out of her eyes. _Now or never I guess. He's been acting like a bastard this whole time; I can't guess why he would want to help though…Maybe he wants to help avenge his host. _

She cleared her throat as everybody in the cave looked at her. "There's somebody I think you should see Relli."

Relli looked up and stared at Mukuro. "And who would that be?" she asked, her voice faintly hoarse from all her crying.

She jerked her head towards the entrance and said in a loud voice. "Come on in."

A silver-haired man with amber eyes stepped inside the cave. He was dressed in white and his fox ears stood out against his humanly appearance. His demon aura was complete. There was no trace of human scent on him.

Her eyes widened and before she could speak the demon raised his hand and his cold eyes narrowed. "Let me talk first." He looked at her and made sure that she was quiet before he went on. "Before Kurama died he took a potion that we heard both heard about. It's a rare potion that can only be made under the full moon with fruits of the Exti plants that can only be found in Demon World. He drank it that same night and today, just before he killed himself, I was released from his body and found another in which to keep my soul in."

"What body is that?" Hiei asked, nearing the fox.

"A fox that was running near the cascade served as quite the host and I changed into my demon form, Youko Kurama."

Relli lowered her eyes and buried her face again. So Youko had survived but her redhead hadn't. Kurama hadn't survived.

_Is there even a God? Why make somebody like Youko live and kill Suichi…Kurama? _

Every memory of him came back and she could remember his laugh, his smile, his understanding…his arms wrapped tightly around her in a loving embrace of comfort…the feeling of his gentle lips on hers…his hands caressing her arms gently in sweet passion…

_It's too much! _She gripped her head tightly and closed her eyes willing herself to stop thinking about him. _He's gone, he's dead! Get that through your head!_

But she refused to believe it. A couple of hours ago he had been talking to her, analyzing their best area of attack and now he was gone?

Without him she was completely useless. She had loved-no she still loved him, that would never cease, and she would be destined to eternal solitude now that he was dead.

_He's dead…it's over, everything is over…_

_Yes Kurama is dead, his heart has stopped and he's completely dead. Still, that doesn't mean his ghost can't come back right? Just joking his ghost isn't going to come back and he really, truly has died. There's no joke about it although don't lose hope! I mean, he might be dead, but if Youko's alive it's somewhat of a gain right? Ha, ha, ha. I'm pretty sure you know how it's going to go from now on. It's pretty unoriginal but hey, that was the way the story was planned from the start. Side Note: Last couple of chapters. I'm guessing about maybe five more and then that's it. Oh and if you truly want to know how this is going to have a happy ending just send me a message! I'll be glad to give you either subtle or not too subtle hints about what's going to happen. And yes, Relli and Kurama do live happily ever after…eventually… From this chapter on forward I'll do a little small chapter insight before each chapter just so you can have a feel of what's going to happen. It will usually be somewhat revealing. Hope you enjoyed and remember to review! _


	11. Last Encounter

**Disclaimer: As always I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**_Small Chapter Insight: _His eyes stared at her until she did the only natural thing to do. Faint.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_I'm right here beside you. Don't ever let go of my memory. Even if it's the only thing you can live on now..._

She awoke with a startled gasp and glanced around her anxiously. For a minute that had sounded like...like Kurama.

Hiei and Youko had buried him yesterday in Yomi's territory a short distance away and Relli found no rest. She had visited his grave the night before and stayed there for hours, refusing to leave him. Eventually, she had fallen asleep and now she was on top of warm grass with faint violet scent. One of the boys must have brought her back.

Youko didn't blink as he saw Relli awaken. His mind was running calculations. Kurama wanted to make his attack as stealthy as possible. He had sent an urgent message to someone who would almost certainly come, given the circumstances and he was sure that he would make a great addition. True, he had a good family and a child but still...he would gladly allow himself a couple of days to avenge his dead friend. If only he would arrive...Youko was aware that from his territory it was quite a long journey but he was practically the strongest demon here. Surely he would be able to arrive before-

"Hey guys, I'm here."

His tone was off, as if not fully quite over the shock Youko's letter had brought him.

Hiei, who was resting against the bark of the tree, merely nodded, acknowledging his presence.

Youko did likewise and spoke to him in his low voice. "It took you long enough."

"Well I wasn't exactly across the street." He looked around him and saw Relli sitting down and he winced. He'd taken it badly but it was little compared to how she was handling Kurama's death.

She barely acknowledged his presence. Her gaze was fixed on a distant star that was in the sky.

"You alright?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"No," she answered quietly. Her voice sounded slightly hoarse from all her screaming and crying. "He's gone..."

He shrugged, leaning back against the bark of the tree, closing his eyes slightly.

"He was such a good person, he didn't deserve to die, not like that."

"Life is fucked up like that. Ev- Yusuke paused suddenly as he caught a very particular scent invaded his nostrils.

The scent was familiar, as if he'd sensed it before. It had a very particular odor, as if it was mixed together.

_That's strange...it smells human...but at the same times it smells like a demon. I'm the only half-breed around here. Unless..._

He glared at her, realizing the truth. "Mind telling me why I'm sensing that you're a demon?"

She crumbled and under his stern gaze she realized that telling lies was out of the question. Besides, did it truly matter anymore? The whole reason she had decided to keep it a secret was so that Kurama wouldn't find out that she was related to their enemy.

"I'm-I'm Tekkan's niece."

"WHAT?"

"Keep it down!" she whispered loudly, noticing how Hiei and Youko both turned to look curiously at them.

"Does Kurama-I mean, _did_ Kurama know?"

"No." A feeling of remorse started to sting in her chest but she tried to ignore it. She hadn't told him anything at all. "I didn't want to tell him. Only Sunia, Genkai, and now you know."

"The old hag? How come she knows?"

"She...saved me...a long while back and she could sense my aura even though I had just found out."

He was about to ask another question when Hiei stood in front of them.

His eyes seemed sad but it was hard to tell with the darkness. "It's time. Mukuro's soldiers are taking the left wing of the fortress. The rest of us are taking the right."

"Alrighty then." He stood up and took a deep breath, hiding his plentiful energy.

There was no moon and it turned out to be quite appropriate. It made them more sightless in the darkness.

The tall fortress loomed ahead, though its outline was barely visible to most of them.

The sentries were alert and ready. In less than two minutes they would switch with other guards for relief and then would be the time to strike.

Relli's muscles were tense from being held in a still place for so long. They were starting to interfere with her concentration. They had to be very quick.

Without so much as a whisper of wind the sentries exchanged places and as soon as the new ones were in their place they were attacked.

They fell to the ground unmoving and they quickly entered the fortress without a second glance backwards.

"Where are the prisoners at?"

"Under the main part of the castle. It's a bit farther down."

Sunia's head throbbed but she ignored the pain. It wouldn't do it any good if she complained. Besides, it wasn't like she could leave Realeza off to her own with something like this.

They all hid themselves in the shadows, moving as a synchronized brush of shadows as they neared the stairs leading downstairs.

There were more guards in this part of the fortress but like with the first pair of guards, they were quickly disposed of, and they were nothing to fear.

Slowly, Youko opened the door.

Hushed, anxious, excited whispers flew all around them as they crawled in the spaces between the prisoners trying desperate to get to the other side. They didn't know if the people entering were their jailers or their saviors.

"We need all of you to keep quiet. If you make so much as a sound when we release you then you'll get us all killed. Is that understood?"

There was no response.

"Go ahead." he whispered at her and Relli pulled down the switch as quietly as she could. The only sound was the rapid beat of the human hearts around them.

She pulled it down.

Nobody said a word as the prisoners unanimously stood up, some shaking, some nervous, some happy, all thankful.

"We'll lead these people out." Hiei commenced. "You three take care of the rest."

By three, he meant Relli, Youko, and Yusuke.

They separated themselves from the group and began to climb back up the stairs, traveling upward towards the main part of the fortress.

Silence invaded much of the atmosphere for the guards were mysteriously absent from this part of the fortress and the absence caused all three of them to tense in an obvious sense of wariness.

And of course, it didn't take long for the silence to be drastically interrupted.

A dozen or so guards, none of them human, all stood before them as a cloud of mercenaries ready to fend them off. At first glance they seemed vaguely easy to fend off but then Relli had to clutch her stomach to keep the nausea down. Their energy practically exploded from their bodies.

Youko gritted his teeth. _I should've seen this coming..._

It was much to late to think about any last-minute plans they could've possibly come up with because they suddenly attacked, all at once.

Yusuke cursed under his breath and then called out to his companions, "Just go on ahead without me, I'll take care of them."

"Are you sure you can handle them all?" Youko asked, his normally emotionless face overwhelmed itself with pain for only an _instant _as a fellow demon hurled a sword almost directly into his arm.

"Yeah I'm sure. Besides..." he trailed off with a wide grin that Youko knew all too well from Kurama's memories. It was the same smile the kid got before somebody got pounded.

"Besides", Yusuke continued. "I need to kick some demon ass."

It figured.

Instead of arguing with the stubborn ex-detective, Youko tugged Relli to him and fought his way through the demons.

As soon as they were far enough Yusuke aimed his finger at all of the injured demons ready for another round of torture.

"Spirit Gun!"

Tekkan had obviously known they had been planning on sneaking in and had given them a false sense of security by letting them liberate all the prisoners.

He drunk his drink as the full moon glowed overhead. It was only a matter of time before he completely got rid of those annoying friends that his niece had managed to make.

And it was only a matter of time before he got to see his beloved Relli.

A dark smile settled over his features. _Don't keep me waiting..._

Their footsteps sounded loud and blatant in the darkness of the staircase until finally they reached the top and then they froze.

"Now where do we go?"

Youko frowned as he tried to remember which way it had been. "Right, I'm sure it's right."

So they went right and scant seconds later, in the tallest part of the fortress they came across two doors, no doubt the entrance to the biggest enemy that Relli had ever known.

She cleared her throat as she pulled open the doors and saw a man, who had looked so much like her father, sitting in a chair, sipping a drink.

It was amazing that he could manage to hold that calm look, when it took almost all of Relli's willpower to keep from attacking him.

"It's about time you arrived." he murmured and set his drink down to look at them to see just exactly what he was up against.

Youko neither moved nor answer and instead he studied Tekkan with an arrogant expression in his face, already planning the best way to take him out.

"Not even a hug for your dear uncle? You've become very cold-hearted."

"You made me that way." she answered a slight crisp of anger escaping her otherwise aloof tone.

He smiled and turned to her companion with wary eyes.

"You must be Youko Kurama...since the other Kurama died."

Youko didn't say a word and shook his head and within seconds lunged at Tekkan with a heavy dark vine that came from his arm.

Tekkan narrowed his eyes and Youko flew back, slamming directly into the thick wall.

The impact shocked him but it didn't stop his reflex reactions from acting and he lunged again at Tekkan.

And the only thing he did was raise his eyebrows before the bones in Youko's limbs cracked and a hollow gasp erupted from his throat. He collapsed instantly on the floor. He didn't move.

The only thing Relli could do was stare in utter horror at the scene and she glanced up at him, biting her lip as she hurriedly tried to decide what to do.

A slow trembling hand lifted itself from her body and she extended her hand, palm up towards him. Instantly, her hand shone with a strong purple light.

All he did was slowly stare at her hand as the light grew brighter until it turned into a medium-sized orb.

Then he raised his eyes toward hers. "Go ahead. Try all you want and I'll have your friends killed just like I had Kurama killed."

"You didn't kill Suichi." she snapped at him and her throat with dry. Just saying his name was difficult.

He raised his eyebrows and she instantly tensed, expecting his unique power to arise once more.

It didn't.

"Oh...so you're saying that he deliberately let go of the vine supporting him and you...just for your sake?"

"Why would that be so hard to believe?"

"I know his kind. They don't do anything out of sheer good will. And I know how your mother was."

"My mother was-

"A whore." he streched out the word so that he could enjoy the expression on her face. "Just like you."

Her eyes darkened with frustration and years of built-up anger. "You know better than anybody that my mother only gave herself to my father."

Tekkan's jaw tightened. That comment from one of his officers wouldn't have bothered him but coming from his brother's daughter...It hurt. More than he would ever dare admit.

The purple light bounced off of her fingertips and without a second thought she flung it at her uncle and lunged towards him.

It proved to be a near-fatal mistake.

He deflected it with his fist and narrowed his eyes at her and instantly she collapsed on the floor with a soft cry, torn with pain in her leg.

He'd broken one of her legs.

"Make another move and I'll break your neck."

She glanced at him as she looked up from the fox's unmoving body. "You like hurting people don't you?"

He shook his head and looked down at her as if she was idiotic for asking him that. "I'm not the one who wants this Relli dear. It was your father that built up this hatred for humanity. Hatred for all the human race. If only he had stayed true to his people, true to Demon World, then all your suffering would have been unnecessary."

He paused a bit and glanced at her bruised and battered body and anger overcame him once again, the sereneness of his past words beginning to fade. "But no. He had to sleep with that ningen woman, not only a human but also the woman _I _had begun to have an interest in. It was wrong but then again," he shot her a dark smile as he continued. "I never liked my brother in the first place."

Her leg was broken so she couldn't stand up to even try an attack against him. "You killed him didn't you?"

"I did," he admitted proudly and her tears overflew but she didn't stop staring at him. "And it wasn't enough. I still hated them, hated both of them for betraying me. I hated knowing that they loved each other and that they had made you. My only choice for feeling happiness again was making you suffer."

"Wouldn't it have been easier just to kill me?"

"I considered it but," he turned away from her and whispered his next words. "You reminded me too much of her and I couldn't bear to do that."

She bit her lip until she tasted blood. "You can still escape this. If you stopped this right now and paid for your crimes-

"No. It's far too late and besides..." he paused for a moment and a slow smile spread over his features. "I _like _this."

Her throat went dry and she couldn't find anything to say.

Not that it was necessary.

He advanced toward her with menacing steps and she shrunk against the wall, fearing his next move. Killing to him was one of the most painless things a person deserved so he was obviously going for torture.

"Killing you would be too easy." he whispered as if reading her thoughts. "No, I'd rather see you covered in blood, suffering intensely...that would be extremely gratifying-"

"I hate you!" she screamed, startling him completely. He hadn't expected that she would even speak. "I hate you so much! Why you can't just kill me and get it over with? Stop this torture! Stop it now!"

And before he could say anything the world around them turned lavender.

Literally, because smoke was coming in from the door and it circled around them. Tekkan had been so distracted by Relli that he hadn't even noticed the person who was masking himself in the thick, light smoke that soon made it impossible for sight to function.

He drew Relli closer to him, guessing that it was one of her friends, coming to help her but an uneasy feeling overcame him. The demon aura coming from this person...it was almost nonexistent!

Footsteps echoed in the room and both of them tensed instantly, wondering who it could possibly be.

Suddenly, Relli felt rough hands around her neck.

She screamedand Tekkan leaped back, startled, and steadied himself ready to attack.

His preparations came too late for a long vine twisted itself around his body, until he could no longer move.

And all Relli could do was stare.

Oh, she saw her uncle perfectly but what confused her the most was the fact that the person holding him wasn't any of her friends.

And it definitely wasn't Youko because _he was still unconscious beside her._

It was all over very quickly. Tekkan broke free from his captor and turned around instantly to face his attacker but the surprise he showed was undeniable.

It was truly a pity that Realeza hadn't seen it.

"So you're back from the dead are you?" Tekkan began in a harsh voice as he narrowed his eyes.

The attacker uttered not a word and stood still and silent as Relli desperately tried to look through the thick smoke enveloping her vision.

"No matter. I'll be sure to send you back." And with that statement Tekkan lunged at him and an all out war began. He was using his brute strength since the offender obviously had next to nothing considering demonic energy.

It went on for the longest, aching time. Neither side seemed willing to back down and while both seemed evenly matched, Tekkan's pants of exhaustion were evident that his body wasn't going to resist much more struggle.

Tekkan swung his fists occasionally landing on a body part but the attacker held himself strong. The attacker lunged a blow directly at Tekkan's stomach and landed with a satisfactory thump. He then used both of his arms to wrap them around Tekkan's neck and easily flung him down harshly to the ground.

He wiped a streak of blood across his face that Tekkan had made and looked down at him with an expression of pure hate as he whispered a couple of words that left him stone cold.

"It's over for you," he murmured, in a low, gentle voice, deeply contrasting his actions for he was currently holding onto Tekkan by his own neck, "You won't be hurting anybody else."

The rest was history as a tangle of God knows what flew up from the attackers' body and wrapped Tekkan's body in a maze of utter madness. The attacker himself barely had enough time to escape the tangle before Tekkan's body was swallowed up.

The tangle flung Tekkan's body almost right next to Relli and she heard her uncle's low groan of agony as whatever was entangling him ate at his body.

Her next action was unpremeditated.

She didn't think as she slowly gathered what was left of her energy and swiftly lunged her purple orb towards her uncle's barely visible head.

The explosion was immediate and the results were final. When the small puffs of smoke dissipated she found that his body no longer had his head attached and so the tangles continued to feast on the visible flesh.

Bursts of nausea overcame her and she quickly looked away, horrified at what she'd done. She hadn't come here to kill him in a brutal way, but in the end it had been her, not the attacker who'd ended Tekkan's life.

And speaking of... Relli turned to face her protector and as the smoke cleared she could only stare.

Those arms, and those lips looked so familiar. His tall frame was certainly bigger than her own. His hair was an amazing shade and as she looked up into his eyes and their brilliant gem tone she stood up, shaking, as she fixed herself for a closer look.

As the smoke cleared completely she let out a low gasp and her eyesight became blurry. It went against all logic for her eyes to be seeing what they were seeing now. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true!

The pain screaming in her legs went unnoticed as Realeza opened her mouth but found herself unable to say a word.

He, on the other hand, looked at peace. His lips raised themselves to a shaky smile.

"Hello Relli."

As his eyes stared at her, she did the only natural thing a woman in her place would do. Faint.

_Don't kill me. Please. _

_This chapter was meant to go up more than half a year ago but because of difficult circumstances here I am, giving it to you all a year later. Sigh. But no worries. This just means that my muse has returned at that you all will be hearing from me at least once a month now. After this there's not much more to go on. The chapters will range from 3-5 more and then after that 'Trust In Your Heart' will be completed and done with. _

_As always reviews, tips, and helpful comments are always appreciated as the final chapters of TIYH are being edited and revised as I type this. _


	12. The Night Of Confessions

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure that nobody would believe me to be the owner of YYH even if I did say it.**

**Pen Name: sarahh86**

**A/N: I will warn you ahead of time, there will be some sensuality. Nothing too explosive though. This _is _a T-rated fanfic after all. **

_**Small Chapter Insight: Lightness turned to dark and for a minute neither of them spoke. Of course they wouldn't speak. Speech was the thing that could possibly ruin this whole thing and for what they felt, words weren't needed. **_

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

When Relli finally opened her eyes all she saw was darkness and she struggled to adjust her eyes. For a couple of seconds she wondered if she was blind but then she saw random spots of light in the corner of her eyes.

It was just nighttime and she was lying in a comfortable bed with a small, sleeping body next to hers.

She sat up groggily and turned to face her little girl sleeping peacefully, inched carefully towards her.

Despite herself Relli bit her lip back to keep herself from getting sentimental. It had seemed like a long time since she'd seen Runo and she planted a soft kiss on top of her baby's head.

She swung her legs off the bed and was surprised to find out that they no longer hurt from Tekkan's-

Memories came back flying in a rush and she remembered the few seconds she had lasted after his death, she had been looking at somebody, somebody...

Her eyes rose from the floor as she instantly remembered the face. It had been no dream. He was real. And not only real...he was alive.

Realeza slowly got up and walked slowly toward the door and began to descend the stairs vaguely sure of who it was that was in her house.

He was standing in front of the TV but it was off. It was more as if he were using the TV simply for another purpose, to distract himself, while he thought about things he'd never said before, things he'd never done...things he'd never confessed.

He swerved his head the second he heard her soft footsteps and he couldn't look away. It had been true torment what he had undergone and he wasn't about to come back only to repeat the same things.

"You are alive."

He smiled softly. From what his friends had told him she had been inconsolable and now the only thing she could say to him was that he was alive? She truly was one of a kind.

"I never died in the first place." he replied in a smooth tone as he beckoned her to come seat beside him.

She did so, even though her steps were uncertain. Part of her was worried that it might just be a ghost in disguise or another delusion of her mind.

There was a moment of silence as both of them just stared faintly at each other.

"I don't understand Suichi..."

He sighed and he glanced deeply at her. "I suppose Youko told you about the potion I took the night before I died didn't he?"

Relli thought hard and a slightly memory of that night returned.

_A silver-haired man with amber eyes stepped into the cave. He was dressed in white and his fox ears stood out against his humanly appearance. His demon aura was complete. There was no trace of human scent on him. _

_Her eyes widened and before she could speak the demon raised his hand and his cold eyes narrowed. "Let me talk first." He looked at her and made sure that she was quiet before he went on. "Before Kurama died he took a potion that we heard about. It's a rare potion that can only be made under the full moon with fruits of the Exti plants that can only be found in Demon World. He drank it that same night and today, just before he killed himself, I was released from his body and found another in which to keep my soul in."_

"_What body is that?" Hiei asked, nearing the fox._

"_A fox that was running near the waterfall served as quite the host and I changed into my demon form, Youko Kurama."_

"Yeah," she said speaking slowly. "I remember."

"Well I told him not to tell you the whole truth. See the potion was going to kill me anyway. Just before the fight with the Siluvian brothers I was feeling intense spasms of pain."

"But how are you alive? If you said the potion was going to kill you how come you're alive? Don't tell me Koenma revived you-"

"No, Koenma didn't revive me. But the potion itself revives the person after a couple of days and keeps the body in a dormant sleep, so to speak. All organs shut down and the heart stops beating for just a couple of days and then the body can function again. See the potion itself was for separating souls and I used it to separate my soul from Youko's."

Relli paused digesting this piece of information. "Why didn't you tell me?" Then all at once she glared at him with pure fury in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you insensitive bastard? Do you know how much I suffered for your so-called death? Didn't you even care to mention to me 'By the way Relli I took a potion that's going to make me die in a couple of hours.'? I was destroyed, you selfish jackass!"

Kurama was almost speechless. Almost, but the way her emotion clearly traveled beyond her words was endearing and she knew her anger wouldn't last. "If it's any console it was hell getting myself out of my grave."

She wanted to hit him. So she closed in on him and punched him in the chest enough to make him wince slightly but then she embraced him as her anger finally crashed to the floor in favor of happiness and relief.

"So Youko isn't a part of you anymore?" she asked, mumbling slightly over his shirt.

"No." he responded, nervously leaning forward to embrace her as well. He remembered what had happened the last time they had gotten this close...and on this couch of all places!

He ran a hand gently through her wavy lavender hair trying to distract himself. "After all that's happened, after all we've been through and shared...you'll never trust me, will you?"

Relli froze and she slowly separated herself from him. She wrung her hands nervously through her hair as she debated on how, or rather what to answer him.

Memories invaded her mind and the second her mind was clear again she knew what to say to him.

"_Hey Kurama we brought those nudie flicks we promised and whoa…" Kuwabara paused in mid-sentence to gape at Relli while she bit her lip. Yusuke was behind him and didn't notice Relli was he kept going. "They're just plain porn so you don't have to…whoa!"_

_Kurama bent to eye level with Relli and held her hands. "Just trust me for once Relli! You know how I am. I would never insult somebody for something that they couldn't help." _

"_How about if Relli becomes the mother?" Relli turned to him with her eyes wide. "You want m-me to be Runo's mom?"_

_He looked at Relli's blushing face and couldn't help himself. He slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Relli's for the first time. _

_Relli gently held out Runo to him. "Here," she said. Relli hesitated debating on whether to say her next words. "Here's our-our daughter."_

"_That's good," she responded. "Now there's only one more thing for you to do." Relli frowned. "And what would that be?" Genkai's voice rose an octave at her naiveness. "For you to get your head out of the clouds and realize that you mean to Kurama than his own life."_

_He covered her tenderly with a kiss that sent her stomach clenching in absolute fear, exactly like the first time. The feelings he provoked in her scared her completely. She'd never felt anything so powerful, so strong, for one person. _

"_Good point," he agreed and slowly took her hand in his. "We're acknowledging that we feel something more than lust and desire for each other and we both want to keep it a secret for now. That's the way we should keep it for now but in the future we need to talk about everything that we hide."_

"_Just let me talk alright? One man, that hot guy sleeping right there," she jerked her head towards Kurama. "Makes you feel different. I can tell because I've known you for a long time and I'll be damned if you don't get your fairy tale ending. You're like a sister to me and Kurama seems like a pretty darn good guy. Why can't you just go for it and tell him how you feel?"_

It was about time the secrets got drowned and the truth finally burst out. It was enough of all the lies, the torments, the what-ifs, it was done with completely.

Relli glanced up at Kurama and she surprisingly didn't waver in her decision. "I trust you enough to tell you the truth...right now."

He was utterly speechless and for a moment he only stared at her. Relli was opening up to him? She was going past her fears to finally speak the truth?

Slowly he managed to nod in acceptance still in shock.

She closed her eyes feeling her heart began to accelerate as she thought of how to begin.

"My mother was a human and she studied a lot while she was in school. She was a perfect woman or that's what other people thought at least. My father on the other hand...was-was a demon."

"A demon?"

Relli glanced up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm a half-demon."

She went on before he could ask another question. Realeza wanted to get this over done with quickly.

"After they met and fell in love they eventually married and my dad decided to completely forget about his Demon Nature. A couple of years later I was born and as soon as I was old enough to begin school they began going on trips and enjoying their life. On one of the trips that I couldn't go on, the Siluvian brothers killed them but of course I didn't realize Tekkan had sent them until recently."

"After that," she went on softly. "I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle. That was when I was thirteen. At first the relationship was bad, but it was somewhat bearable. I wasn't that interesting to any of my cousins or my uncle himself so my aunt used me as a slave essentially. I would endure as best as I could with her beatings and her insults about me being a burden."

She couldn't go on but in reality she didn't have to. Kurama remembered this part of her past, she'd once told him.

"Then your uncle began molesting you," he murmured gently. "And he raped you."

She froze at the word he'd pronounced and glanced up at him quizzically. "No he didn't."

It was Kurama's turn to be perplexed. "But you said that when your aunt wasn't home he would-"

"He would molest me but my cousins wanted their share too and so they tore me away from him only to try and do that to me but it never-never got to the point of...raping me. I was lucky."

Something clicked in Kurama's brain right then but he dismissed it carelessly and shook his head. "Never mind my assumptions then. I should let you speak, please go on."

"Then something happened which made me completely. The Siluvian brothers reappeared in my life and kidnapped me. They were planning on taking me to Demon World to Tekkan but they had to pass through Demon World in those circumstances. They stopped at a resting area and then they also tried to...do that...to me," Relli paused for a moment gathering strength. "I didn't know they were filming me and they would've both had their way with me if it hadn't been for Genkai and Botan intervening-"

"Botan? Master Genkai? So they already knew you when you came to live with me?" Kurama exclaimed.

Realeza nodded in affirmative. "They were the ones that saved me. Botan had gotten reports about something shady happening during that time and since none of you were available the only person who could come to investigate was Genkai."

"And yet...neither of them know all of your past do they?"

"Just parts and pieces." Relli admitted a soft expression adorning her face.

Kurama didn't utter a word as he clasped both of Relli's hands in his own. She glanced up at him in curiosity until he nodded for her to go on.

"The Siluvian brothers managed to tell me about Tekkan and what his relation was to me. They said I was his-his niece."

Kurama had to literally bite back his tongue to keep from exclaiming aloud.

Realeza noticed this and nodded, already guessing what his question was. "He was my father's brother and yes, I've been on the run from him for years."

Kurama calmed down significantly and pleaded at her to continue.

"As soon as Botan placed me back in Human World I was crazed. I couldn't believe what I had been through. You must understand that to me traveling in other dimensions and meeting demons, and then discovering my own heritage confused me to no end. Yes, I was definitely crazed. As soon as I was at my aunt's home I told her everything I had been through in the two human days I had been gone."

"What was her response?" Kurama asked, his hands tightening significantly around hers.

"In a nutshell, she thought I was crazy. For a long time she had been trying to figure out a way to get me off of her hands and this was the perfect excuse. She searched around and finally placed me in an asylum. It was alright I suppose, but the doctors would inject me whenever I got hysterical. With time I learned to keep my mouth shut and just go with the flow."

"I became acquainted with another girl who was staying there. She was far into her own world and she could barely conceive reality or what was happening at the moment. She would get into terrible bouts of hysteria and have to get injected and sedated to the point of being calm again. At first I would try to keep her out of trouble at first, merely for pity, but when she began to say that the demons from Demon World were after her because of her power, I was her ultimate protector."

Relli took a deep breath and kept going. "That girl would whisper to me that she had been on the run for years and that she needed to be free. All she wanted was to be free. She kept mentioning a man who was into drugs and illegal things. She said that her husband was part of the bad men that were after her. I didn't understand most of the things she said but I made sure to calm her down whenever she got too upset. After I became her protector, things got worse. The doctors frequently sedated us and one doctor got to the point of beating her and tying me up."

"By that point we were sick of it all and confessed my past to her in hopes that she might somehow know and understand that I was very similar to her. To my shock she understood me and she was perfectly calm as she confessed me her past. She was sick, that might have been true, but she wasn't completely crazed."

"Her name," Relli began in a slow voice. "Her name was Sunia."

Kurama's eyes widened. He'd known that she had been in an asylum and he'd known that about Sunia as well but he had no idea of just how much either of them had been through in there.

"After that," she continued. "a fire broke out and some of the patients managed to escape. I managed to escape but a couple of days later when I saw a tore up newspaper in the trash and saw Sunia's name and picture listing her as one of the people missing I knew that she had escaped as well. I never saw her again, until the party."

"And that's it," she said clasping his hands tightly. "After escaping from the asylum I managed to earn enough money to get myself somewhat educated and managed to finish school. That night you saved me-the first time we met, I had been working extra hours. I had no idea of how to summon the power the Siluvian brothers had said I had so I just tried to ignore it. I had no idea that-that I was going to meet you." She paused and then released one of her hands to put it on his cheeks. "You changed my life." she whispered gently, her heart fluttering. "I'm very grateful to you, because you've made me trust again. You've made me whole...Kurama."

Her words were so sweet and so simple. There was nothing difficult about them except that, to her, they were the ultimate proof of trust.

Without thinking twice he crushed her to him, clinging her to him in a soft embrace that made both of their hearts jump.

"Thank you," he mumbled into her ear, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for trusting me. But there's one more thing I want to hear from your sweet mouth."

He leaned her back enough so that their noses were almost touching and then whispered to her. "Do you love me?"

Realeza blushed and she bit her lip and thought about denying it, but thinking it further she realized it would be utterly worthless. Even if she denied who was to say that he would actually believe her? She wouldn't believe it herself.

"Y-yes." she stammered against him.

There was a strong moment of silence before he pressed his lips to hers roughly and then suddenly drew back.

"So do I." he murmured gently before he claimed her lips again.

From there everything happened very quickly. She sunk into his body and gripped his arms tightly as her heart soared to the heavens. He loved her, he loved her!

Intense moments passed and then Relli felt her back hit the soft couch and she whispered his name as she felt his hands very, very gently begin to move up her waist.

His mind meanwhile was a turmoil. What was he doing? If he forced her into something she wasn't ready for that would only fix the situation so that she would eventually hate him. He didn't want that!

Kurama tore himself apart from Relli and tried hard not to stare at her, her tousled lavender hair and her swollen pink lips taunting him.

He slowly sat her up again and kissed her forehead with incredible tenderness. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for it to go that far."

Realeza's voice was gone so she only nodded and she smiled up at the man who cared more about her than about himself.

"It's late." he murmured quietly to her. "Get some rest, Relli. The last couple of days have been hard for you."

She nodded and daringly pressed her mouth to his one final time and then finally ascended the stairs. Once in the comfort of her room, she carefully moved Runo's tiny sleeping form into her own crib and smiled down at her. undressed and put on a soft lilac nightgown and wrapped herself in the sheets.

However, she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and she could not stop thinking about Kurama and where their relationship was going. She loved him and he'd said that he loved her...from here, what would happen?

Even if their feelings were stronger than themselves their relationship was going to be tough. Humans and demons couldn't interbreed, not even half-demons.

And then there was the issue about their jobs. Kurama had said that he had signed the contract and that it was binding for twenty years, of which only three had been completed since he'd signed it three years after becoming Spirit Detective..

Seventeen years...Relli buried her face in her pillow and trembled. It was insane to think that they could possibly make it, completely unscathed, in that amount of time. There was no way on Earth that they could be able to raise Runo safely or continue to leave her in the arms of her adopted grandmother if they kept being Spirit Detectives.

And last of all, she'd heard from Botan that foxes had to choose their mates carefully, because they would be together for life after mating-

Mating.

She blushed as her mind wavered for an instant and she sat up, trying to clear her head.

After a long moment, she swung her legs off the bed and walked barefoot into the hallway, pleased to see that Kurama's bedroom was still illuminated.

She timidly knocked on the door and Kurama immediately opened it, his eyes widening as he was momentarily caught off-guard by her tousled appearance and the little nightgown that covered most of her skin.

He wasn't the only one caught off-guard for Relli was frozen for a couple of instants as she realized that he was shirtless and his lean muscles were bare for her eyes to see.

It took everything in her power for her to hold in a blush.

"Relli..."

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you Kurama, but I needed to talk to you for a minute." she said, wringing her hands in front of her in nervousness.

"Of course." he agreed, stepping aside so that she could walk into his well-lit room.

There were a couple of open books open on his desk and several sheets of paper on top of them. Instantly she regretted interrupting him. His work was important and her petty doubts weren't.

She turned around so quickly that she crashed into Kurama's chest and he gripped her arms to steady her.

For a moment neither spoke.

Finally, Kurama broke the suddenly awkward silence. "What did you need to say to me Relli?"

She struggled to compose herself and looked up at him her voice slightly wavering. "About us."

Kurama raised his eyebrows. "What about us?"

Her voice trembled. "Will it even work? There's so many things preventing us from being happy together even though we love each other; the issue about me being a human, us being Spirit Detectives, and...and about you choosing the right woman to be your mate-

At this Kurama silenced her with a tender brush of his hand over her cheek. He couldn't believe what she'd just said. Did she truly think he would regret choosing her as his mate for the rest of his life?

"Relli," he began in a low voice. "Do you think I would regret choosing you as my mate?"

She didn't speak for some time and he was about to ask again when she whispered, "Yes."

"Why? Why do you think that?"

"Because...because I'm not the kind of person you deserve. You deserve so much more..." she said, trailing off as the intensity of his gaze forced her to discontinue.

Instead of speaking the fox did something that stunned Realeza. He slowly traced one of his fingers over her full lips, over her cheeks, he traced every curve of her face until she was glancing at him with a completely bewildered expression on her face.

"You are what I deserve," he muttered as he cupped her face in his hands, "in fact you're more than that. You're perfect...to me you're absolutely perfect."

"And," he continued, a slow mischievous smile playing over his lips, "it would be an honor to have you as my mate."

Red marked her face as Relli couldn't keep her embarrassment down and to spare her from being flustered his lips trapped her own.

It was sweet. It was very, very sweet and Relli found herself hanging on to him for dear life as his strong arms wrapped themselves around her slender waist.

Slowly, the innocent kiss turned into something more...passionate and his insistence was almost fierce and he kissed her over and over and over again.

Reality finally returned to him and he broke apart with much effort. He expected her to be scared or at least resisting but she was neither. In fact the glaze in her eyes mirrored his own.

Kurama's breathing was sharp as his hands stayed glued to her waist. "I-"

Relli shook her head at him as the reality of what they both felt sunk into her heart. "It's okay," she whispered. "I don't want you to stop."

He swallowed. "Relli, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. I won't force you into this if you're not ready."

"That's just it," she murmured huskily, unintentionally making his rational side start to disappear. "I-I want this..."

He was about to give in to her wishes when a thought came flying back at him. He'd thought of it earlier this evening but dismissed it because he'd deemed it too good to be true. Now however, after hearing the complete truth of her past he needed to see if his suspicion was right.

"Relli," he spoke, brushing her lavender hair behind her ear, "Relli are you...are you a virgin?"

She didn't speak for a long moment, but the instant taint of red that colored her cheeks and the downward gaze she kept said it all.

So when she murmured an affirmative his heart leaped.

His hands trembled as he separated himself from her frame and softly said to her, "Are you sure? I may not be much of a demon anymore but I might not be able to be gentle..."

Her eyes were shining as she slowly whispered the word 'yes'.

Kurama moved to shut the door and he leaned in to turn off the small lamp that brightly illuminated the small, cozy room.

Lightness turned to dark and for a minute neither of them spoke. Of course they wouldn't speak. Speech was the thing that could possibly ruin this whole thing and for what they felt, words weren't needed.

The only light remaining in the room was the crescent moon's shadow and as they wrapped themselves in each other's arms it was the only witness to their love...

* * *

_Well...in the corny & cheesy department I win I guess..._

_So after this chapter there are only about two or three more. I may disappoint with this story being so short but as I've said before, this was the way it was intended to be from the start._

_I am extremely proud of myself for finishing this story after about a week and a half after Chapter 11 was uploaded. _

_My birthday is today, so give me an awesome birthday present by leaving a review!_

_Hope you enjoyed!_


End file.
